MamaArcher's Blog

Passing Up The Good

Have you ever been in a place where you had a difficult decision and one of great consequence? We are currently in that place. We are looking for a home to purchase. I mentioned a week ago that we thought we had found one. The housing here for a large family is limited and for our price range has very little to offer. Last week we had finally decided on one house in particular. It was small but it had a great yard was very pretty. It had a Chakuzzi (as our 4 year says jacuzzi) but we were going to have to put in a wall and take one of the living areas for a bedroom. It was a nice home with the least amount of work but was at the top of our budget limit. We made an offer on the house but there was still nervousness in our spirits.

This was a good house, we would be very cramped but considering the other options this was the cream of the crop and it had the least amount of remodeling. We went to the home several times to try and figure out the best way to make it work for our family deciding that maybe we were just going to have to settle and make do with what was available.

The owners came back with a counter offer that we were just not very comfortable with but looking at the market there just were not really any other options. So now we had a big decision to make. Do we take this house which is a good home because there are no other options or do we pass it up praying that something new will emerge. Making this even more difficult is seeing our current living circumstances. All 10 of us are crammed into a 2 and half bedroom and one bath little hotel apartment. We are also paying to kennel our dogs and each day that passes costs more and more. To be honest it is a difficult thing not to look at current circumstances for our guidance but to look past them to what the Lord has in store.

After pleading in prayer with the Lord for wisdom, guidance, his provision in our lives, and a calm assurance of which home to purchase, I decided to do yet another search for homes. I did a search for large square footage homes regardless of a bedroom count. God providentially gave us a listing we had not seen before. This is very clear in my mind. I am so thankful for a Lord who has my life mapped out before me.

We were making one last trip to the home we were looking at to make our final decision about the counter offer and decided to go and look at two other homes while we were out. One was a home mentioned to us by someone my hubby works with and the other is the listing I just mentioned.

After returning to the home we were considering our nervousness and somewhat hopelessness for anything more both began to grow. We had to make a decision within a few hours to meet the deadline. We went to one of the other homes and it brought no fresh hope to our situation. Again, do we go for the good house which needed the least amount of work but was going to cost so much we would not even have the money to do the work? But other prospects were dwindling quickly. I was at a loss on what to do. Hubby was leaning toward declining the counter offer and wait for the Lord to open something else knowing full well there was nothing at the present time. I will be honest and tell you fear was growing with in me. I was again pleading with the Lord for guidance, direction, wisdom, and assurance.

We drove out to the property that the Lord brought to our attention earlier that morning. It was only listed as a three bedroom but had a boatload of square footage and listed other rooms. The trend we had experienced was that these other rooms are usually so dinky you could do nothing with them but with the large square footage it was worth a look. As we drove into the drive way there was a sparkling of hope. Thank you Lord! As we walked through the home our anxiety lessened and peace began to fall over us. This home is a 3300 sq/ft house (8 rooms to use for bedrooms, a formal dining area, living room, family room), on 1/2 acre with a babbling stream running along the edge of the property. There is a close mountain view and sunshine (which is great to have here in Alaska). There is also a 1200 sq/ft detatched heated 2 car garage that is tall enough to even park the van in and has a “cabin appartment” we can fix up for Jacob to have his own place when he starts college. The price is $35 Thousand dollars LESS than the house we were considering and the sellers are paying all of the closing costs! There is still some work to do, mostly just cosmetic updating, but with the lower price and all closing costs covered there will be money to do the improvements we would like to make.

After viewing the property and driving the neighborhood we came to a peacful conclusion that the Lord had answered our prayers. There was peace and no questioning. God had provided above and beyond anything we could have imagined! we declined the counter offer on the previous home and placed an offer on this home before even leaving the street and it was accepted without any debating. We are now waiting for a home inspection, an enginering report on the septic system and the well, and the financing process(for which we are currently pre-approved). Things could fall through and the home is not ours until the last signature is signed and the keys are handed over but we have seen the hand of the Lord at work in our lives. We have learned to pass up the good for the Lord’s best. This is never an easy thing to do but each time you do it is even more amazing to see the Lord work and providentially provide in abundance in one’s life.

I would like to ask you to continue to pray for us concerning this home and if all goes as it seems to be I will post photos for you to see later. God continually reminds me of his provision and his goodness. I would like to encourage you all to remember his provision and his goodness. Be willing to pass up the good for God’s best.