Looking For A Home

Since we arrived in St. Louis on April 29th, Julie and I have been looking for a home to permanently purchase and move our family into. Our life has not stopped, nor even settled with all of the events and occurrences that have taken place. Yet, we know that our current home is just temporary while we look for a place to land for years to come.

We want a home big enough for our growing family, a kitchen where Julie can work her "magic", and also a home where we can invite friends and family to come and stay with us for days at a time. Julie wants to buy a house that will fit comfortably in our budget and not overextend us, I also want to protect our budget, which we work very hard to maintain, but am willing to risk more for value and a good investment as well. We tend to come at this process from two slightly differing points of view.

We are now in our 6th week of looking for a home and haven't felt a peace about one yet. Some Julie has liked, and some I have liked, but we are not going to proceed with a home until we both agree and have peace that "the home" is what we desire and can honor God with. Most importantly, as we look at all of these homes and make these major life decisions, we try to remember that what makes a home is the lovingkindness and joy within the walls and not its size, location, or the interest rate you are paying on the mortgage. Presently, mortgage rates are going up and the days of 5% are probably long gone. How should this affect our search for a home??? It shouldn't!

It is so easy to fall into the pressures of American life: having a real nice home, paying the best rate, not missing the opportunity, and so on. Honestly though, that is the "tyranny of the urgent" and will never bring the peace and joy into a home that makes the home the special place it is supposed to be. Honestly, I feel some of that pressure to act quickly and you know what? Shame on me if I give in. Our God does not deal or depend on good interest rates or resale value in order to provide for His people or accomplish His will. Rather, he looks for these times in our lives to see how we will seek after Him, depend on Him, and grow closer to Him as we walk through life's tough decisions.

For those of you who feel pressure from the "tyranny of the urgent", do not worry, but rather entrust yourself and your family into the loving hands of a sovereign God. It sounds overly simple, but He clothes the lilies of the field, and He feeds the birds of the air. He has not forgotten about you and will provide for you as you entrust yourself to Him.

Psalm 34: 12-15
12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.