The House God Gave Us

We have a house. We have a house! Hurray! We've owned our house for exactly twenty days and it still feels unreal. After my last post about our house hunting adventures, we switched realtors yet again, saw over fifty more houses, and submitted an additional 11 offers. For a total of 18 offers! Every single one of them fell through for one reason or another. Our poor realtor was absolutely stunned. He couldn't believe we were losing on SO many houses! It was right down to the wire - it was March 18th and if we didn't have an accepted offer by March 19th, we wouldn't close in time to move before our lease was up and our backup plan (which we didn't actually have) would have to go into effect. We were looking at moving into a month-to-month lease (and paying through the nose) while we continued to house shop. That would have been a)stressful b)expensive, and c)undesirable since our new closing/move dates would be much closer to when the baby would be born.

So, we prayed, a lot. We started looking at houses outside of our preferred location (for commute times). We started looking at houses outside of our established parameters (i.e. no HOA, no recent builds, etc) Basically we were looking for anything, with the knowledge that we would probably only live there for a year or two, and then move AGAIN. We prayed some more. We asked everyone at our Life Group and all our friends back home to pray. Things were serious!

Wednesday we spent all day trying to set up appointments to view houses that evening. The kids were worn out and grumpy from spending every evening and weekend doing nothing but looking at houses. Lover was stressed trying to balance work and house hunting and an emotional wife. I was stressed and overwhelmed trying to coordinate with our realtor, find houses we wanted to see, take care of the kids, oh and be pregnant too... it was a rough time. Our realtor touched base with me several times that day to let me know that most of the houses we were trying to see were unavailable, already sold, or simply refusing viewings for some unknown reason. I was on the verge of losing it.

I put the kids down for a nap, and sat on the couch trying to relax. Then our realtor called. At this point, I assumed he was calling to say that all of our viewings had been canceled for that evening. He started out by asking, "Hey Jenny, do you remember that house on Amherst?" 

Did I remember it? Of course I did! It was one of the first houses we saw with Bill, and we totally and completely loved it. It was older, in a nice neighborhood, and had tons of vintage charm and quirk. It was love at first sight. We had put in a really strong offer, but someone had outbid us by several thousand dollars and had more cash to put down.

"Well," Bill said "turns out the original buyers backed out, apparently due to an inspection issue that has since been resolved.  But they were no longer interested, and our offer was the second best offer, so the seller's agent just called me to see if we still wanted this house."

...silence...

I was trying so hard not to bawl my eyes out, right then and there on the phone with Bill. Did we still want it? Do three year old boys like playing in the dirt? Yes, we still wanted this house. YES, YES, YES!!!!

I managed to answer in a somewhat dignified tone "ah, yes, I remember the house. We loved it. Yes, we are still interested in it." Bill proceeded to say something about talking to Lover about it, and getting back to him in the next half an hour or so to confirm. I hung up the phone, sat down on the couch and cried. It was definitely an ugly cry. Such feelings of relief and exhilaration and incredulity. I cried for about twenty minutes, then pulled myself together and called Bill back. I told him we were on board and to send over the contracts.

I hadn't talked to Lover about it, but I knew that we had both loved this house, and he wouldn't have any problem with me giving the okay. We were devastated the first time we lost that house, and I knew he would jump at the chance to get a house, ANY house, but especially THIS house, that had been our favorite!

I confirmed everything with Bill, and e-signed all the paperwork while I anxiously waited for Lover to get home from work. The waiting just about killed me. Finally, I heard Lover come in the front door, and I met him at the top of the stairs. "I'm sorry," I said. "we canceled all our showings for tonight." His shoulders just slumped and he looked at me confused. "Because..." I said, with a sparkle in my eye "the buyers on Amherst backed out and NOW WE GET TO BUY IT!!!!!!" Lover grabbed me and hugged me and I cried some more and we jumped around and were all giddy and it was awesome.

God gave us the perfect house, in the perfect location, just in the nick of time. We had to wait till the bitter end, trusting that He would come through for us. It was really hard, but we did it, and we trusted that he had something great for us, and boy did He ever. Our Heavenly Father pours out on us an embarrassment of riches.

Amherst is a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom raised ranch with a ton of quirk and charm. It is about fifteen minutes from work, less than five minutes from church, and most of the friends we have made since moving here live less than ten minutes away. We couldn't have picked a better location if we had tried.



 

The bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living and dining rooms are all upstairs. The living room has a brick wood burning fireplace. (Don't worry, we didn't inherit any of that furniture!) The fireplace is massive and awesome.

The dining room has a brick wall that is completely different from the fireplace brick just steps away. We love it. It's moody and gray and totally makes the space. The kitchen is well planned out and very workable, and the cabinets are super sturdy - made by the previous owner who was a master woodworker.



 

These pictures are all pretty horrible (they are the listing photos) so I'll follow up sometime soon with better pictures. But everything works, everything is clean, and we're loving all the space to spread out.

There is a second brick fireplace in the basement family room, that is completely different from the two types and colors of brick upstairs. It's also huge and awesome. We got to keep that geese carving/decoration thing above the fireplace too. :)

The family room is fully half of the bottom story of the house. In between the family room and the garage is a utility room with the laundry and a half bathroom with - wait for it - a brick wall that is nothing like the other brick walls/fireplaces in the house! Yes! :) This bar was made by the owner, along with all of that orange paneling you see (it wraps around the outside wall throughout the whole basement. We are actually considering keeping the orange, if you can believe that.

There's lots more to see, but we'll get to that as I have time to blog about it. It's been a VERY busy couple of weeks, and we've got a trip back to NY coming up, along with traveling to my brother's wedding in Spain, and oh yeah, I'm 31 weeks along today. So things are busy. So far we are working on the house little by little, painting a room here, taking out some cabinets there, and we are loving it.



Oh, and the yard! We have a yard again! It is the epitome of awesome. It's overgrown and neglected and has about six trees that need to be chopped down post haste. But it's fenced and full of grass and dirt and the kids absolutely love it. And it has a lilac bush. :)

So that's where we are. Living in our new house, on Amherst Dr. (How funny is that, Wendhurst and Amherst? It's like it was meant to be :) Settling in, unpacking boxes, and feeling thankful every day for the house that God gave us. We've already met several of our neighbors, and they couldn't be nicer. Also, none of them call us at 5 in the morning to tell us our kids are being too loud. :) We are loving this house and we're so thankful for all that God has provided us with.

Till next time,



 

 

 

Lilacs just for Me

This lilac bush is the the back left corner of our yard. It's huge and overgrown, and in desperate need of some pruning. But, the top of the bush is covered in big, puffy lilac blooms. And let me tell you, every time I look out of our new kitchen window and see those purple flowers, my heart bursts a little. Let me tell you why.

When Lover and I started talking about moving away from upstate NY a couple of years ago, we tossed around all sorts of destinations and discussed what our life would look like. We strongly considered moving to Portland,  Oregon for quite a while, thought about moving south to the Carolinas (like the rest of Rochester, NY) and even considered moving overseas. In the end, we decided to take a year off of our commitments, recharge emotionally and spiritually, and really rely on God to direct us where he wanted us to go after the year was up.

I've mentioned before that Lover's job offer came in at 11:50pm the night of Peanut's first birthday, which was exactly 365 days to the day after we had started our sabbatical year. That was our first sign that God was involved in this move in a major way. I kept a doc on my laptop of all of the ways He was showing us that this move was his plan for our future. Little things like the fact that we had purchased a van months before (which was a serious star player in our cross country trip), to big things like deciding to close down my photography business that year.

People helped us in droves during our last month there, watching our kids, running our enormous yard sale, selling things for us, making meals... the list goes on and on. As someone who has difficulty asking for help, the fact that I asked and people showed up - that meant so much to me.

I've continued to look for signs that this move was God's will once we moved out here. It makes the hard days, the days where I desperately miss family and friends, a lot easier. I made note of the fact that the 2nd church we visited was the perfect fit for us, and we've only become happier there. It's like a breath of fresh air. I haven't let the fact that Lover no longer has sleep apnea go unnoticed. That God waited to let us get pregnant again until we were out here, established and with an apartment rented, and timed it just right so I could still attend my brother's international wedding.

And throughout the long, arduous house hunting process, I kept all these things in mind. When I despaired that we would ever find a home we would love, that would fit our criteria, I reminded myself of all the ways that God has walked with us through this adventure so far. And at the final hour, a house came through. And not just any house, but one that we had absolutely fallen in love with, and was perfect for us in so many ways.



Once we had signed the contracts to purchase this house, I was talking to God one morning, a morning that I was particularly missing my world in Rochester. And I said "God, wouldn't it be just perfect if, in our new yard, there was a lilac bush just waiting for me? To remind me of my friends and family in NY? A little sliver of "home" here in our new home?" Well, lo and behold, my friends, God moved the owners years ago to prepare this home for us by planting that pretty,  sweet smelling bush in the back corner, just for me. I hope they enjoyed it, but I don't really worry about that, because I know that all along that bush was actually just for me. God was saving it for me, keeping it as one of my "signs" that he's walking right beside me, loving on me and spoiling me. And now I have the perfect visual reminder that He loves me - right in my own backyard.



 

Alive!

Who but You, could breathe and leave a trail of galaxies and dream of me?
What kind of Love is writing my story till the end with Mercy’s pen? Only You.
What kind of king would choose to wear a crown that bleeds and scars to win my heart?
What kind of Love tells me I’m the reason He can’t stay inside the grave?
You. Is it You? Standing here before my eyes, every part of my heart cries

Alive! Alive! Look what Mercy’s overcome; Death has lost and Love has won Alive! Alive!
Hallelujah, Risen Lord, the only One I fall before I am His because He is alive.

Who could speak, and send the demons back from where they came with just one Name?
What other heart would let itself be broken every time till He healed mine?
You. Only You could turn my darkness into dawn; running right into Your arms

Alive! Alive! Look what Mercy’s overcome; Death has lost and Love has won Alive! Alive!
Hallelujah, Risen Lord, the only One I fall before I am His because He is

Emmanuel, the promised King the babe who made angels sing Son of Man who walked with us, healing, breathing in our dust
The author of all history, the answer to all mysteries The Lamb of God who rolled away the stone in front of every grave
Alive! Alive! Look what Mercy’s overcome;
Death has lost and Love has won Alive! I am His because He is alive. Alive!

Alive, by Natalie Grant

God-Forsaken

Today is Good Friday. Today we remember the sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross, when He willingly laid down His life for us, suffering immeasurably so that we could have the ability to become sons and daughter of God, rescued from hell, now miraculously able to join Him in Heaven one day.

This has obviously been on my mind this week. One of the unexpected benefits of being far from family, and the normal holiday events that fill up our time leading up to these big days, is that I find myself with more time, more blank space, more ability to meditate on the true meaning of these holy-days.  Our kids are still young, so I am really pondering how I want our holidays to look going forward. Do I want Easter to be about pretty dresses and white patent leather shoes and candy filled baskets? I don't think there is anything necessarily wrong with all of that. But what is more important to me is that my kids know the stories about their Savior; His humble beginning, His miracles on earth, and His ultimate sacrifice and then triumph over the grave. And yes, I should be teaching them all of these things every day, but there is an obvious advantage to using the seasons and holidays of each calendar year to reinforce these truths.

So with that in mind, I've been meditating this week on the sacrifice that Christ gave us when He laid down His life for us.  And the word forsaken kept catching my attention. Specifically, when Jesus was on the cross and cried out in torment "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" That sentence has just been stuck in my head all week.

I took some time on Tuesday to sit down and really study out the word.  When I am doing a study, I typically start with the definition of a word so I can really understand it. Forsake means "to abandon, renounce or give up." It's a depressing word. When I think on forsaken, I think of the term God-forsaken. "This God-forsaken land," for example. It connotates such  desolate loneliness, such hopelessness. I have friends who have been forsaken. By spouses. By parents. By lifelong friends. The wounds left by being forsaken go deep. They have far-reaching, long lasting effects.

Forsaken occurs 76 times in the Bible, and the vast, VAST majority of them are in reference to the Israelites forsaking the God of their fathers. Pick any of the passages to examine (most are in the prophets), and you will feel the heart wrenching sadness God experiences as his people turn their backs on Him over and over again.

When Jesus was in the garden, he begged the Father to spare him from what was to come. He knew what the payment for all our sins would require. He knew the suffering that was coming.  He knew He was going to be forsaken.

And on the cross, as He suffered unimaginably to pay our sins in full, the Father turned His back on Him. While He became the spotless Lamb sacrificed to save us, God separated himself from Jesus in a way that neither of them had ever experienced. God poured out his wrath upon His Son, so that justice would be paid.

Is it any wonder then, what Jesus cried out on the cross? "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" I don't think I'll ever be able to comprehend how awful it was. I read a few commentaries on this passage and a few things stood out to me.This is the only time that Jesus does not refer to God the Father as "Father." In His greatest suffering, He reached out for a scripture that adequately expressed His agony and abandonment, and quoted Psalm 22:1. He referred to Jehovah as His God, with humility but also possessiveness. He did not lose His faith in God, but rather it was what sustained Him. As Chuck Smith put it, "He was forsaken for a time, that you need not be forsaken forever." I am so thankful for that!

Interestingly, the word forsaken only occurs 6 times in the New Testament, after Christ's death and resurrection. I wonder if this is because now, finally,  the New Testament saints understood. They knew they were bought with a price, and sealed unto redemption. They were certain that God (their Father) would no longer forsake them. They had security. What hope this brings me! We no longer have to cry out "God don't forsake me," He has promised that He never will. I am so thankful for Jesus' sacrifice so that I could have that assurance!

May you have a wonderful weekend as we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of our Risen Savior!