Thought I'd give a little update on the house since I found some pics on the computer this morning. It's been 38 days since we've slept in our own beds...but who's counting, right?? This whole experience has really been a great eye opener for me. It's funny how much you learn to appreciate all you have once it's taken away. For example, my little house! For awhile now we have been feeling like it was time for us to begin a plan to save and work towards getting a bigger house. We love our house, but we have really felt the growing pains since having Noah. Every room, closet, and cabinet is full to the top! I had been working really hard to become content with our house and make the best of it. I must say, I had really come to love and appreciate living there all the way up until the flood. In the first week out of the house I was definitely having a ton of frustrated thoughts about the house and how everything seems to go wrong for the house and us! I was sort of having one of those "when it rains, it pours" moments...except I felt like it had been pouring for like a year! Now looking back, I have just been so humbled. Mostly by the way God has literally blessed my socks off since this happened! Every time I turn around, its like he is providing yet something else for me. Sometimes it's just a wave a peace..and other times it's something more tangible like unexpected income. It's also been so eye opening to see how much you appreciate the small things when you are living with very little. We only brought a suitcase or so of clothes, a variety of kitchen items, and a few toys for the kids and that's it! At our home, everything we own is packed into a pod in the driveway...and you know...there are very few things that I actually miss right now! I'm SO looking forward to returning to my home (hopefully this week) and clearing out all the crud and junk in my life that I've been holding onto so tightly that I really don't need. We are still planning to put the house up for sale soon, but now we will leave this house with a bittersweet tie to it! I can truly say there is "no place like home" and I can't wait to get back to my own house that is so sweet and comforting to my family. And in the meantime..I am praising God for once again bringing me to a place where I have to completely trust his plan for me, instead of my own big plans for my future.
This is song is so true to my life right now..
Here are some pictures a day or two after while they were still drying things out:
All the hard wood was ripped up at this point, but they were trying to save the carpet..
This is the bathroom where it happened and they replaced a lot of the insulation and drywall on this wall. Now it is all painted and you can't even tell anymore.
Still finishing up some painting of the closet doors and base boards, but most everything is back in place.
Waterlines GONE now in Masterbath
Had to get Noah out of there before he made any more new wholes in the walls!!!
I went through similar feelings when living in ClairMel. I was not happy and Fred kept saying it wasn't time for us to move yet, needed a little more money... It took a while, but I remember the moment when I stopped and told God that yes, I was satisfied with the home he had given us. I stopped complaining about it and started to enjoy it again like I did when we first moved in.... Only after that, did God open up opportunities for us to get our home in Valrico. The interest rates were at its lowest as well as the housing market. We were able to get into a home that I thought we would NEVER get. And there were a lot of great memories and ministry opportunities in that home the 7 years we lived in it. But then, we moved and I missed it terribly. So it was time for God to teach me ANOTHER lesson. Yes, enjoy the material things we are blessed with, but don't hold on to them too tightly. We are in a smaller, older home now. But I like it. God is continually amazing me!!
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking about how crazy it was when the Ebeling's house got covered in soot and how hard it was for Lora to deal with having to be out of the chaos and have everything replaced. Yet, when she was able to look past it, she saw that it was like God gave her the gift of a brand new house, better than it was when they bought it. I think God gave you a flood so that you could have a "brand new house" too! And especially if He wants you to sell it, now you'll have hardly anything to do to have it ready. You'll be able to say it has brand new drywall, carpet, wood flooring, paint...it'll wow someone for sure! Love you guys and think it's so awesome how God can use something so crazy to bring about so much good, both physically with the house, but also spiritually.
ReplyDeleteCessie and Valerie, you are both so right!!
ReplyDeleteCessie, I think about what you just said all the time. It would have been so costly for us to get our house in selling condition! In fact, we had even said before that we would have to wait until we could "afford" to sell the house. I really believe that God did do this to provide for us in that way and I really believe that he is already preparing someone to buy it, too! He has made everything fall into place just right and given us great direction and peace. I love being able to clearly "see" God working in my life I mean, I know he's always there, but sometimes you just know he's there and other times you literally "see" him working. It's nice to be on this side for awhile!
Ps:
ReplyDelete(Cessie, I've already talked to you about all this bunches of times, but for anyone else who cares...)
Also, just for clarification, our motives now aren't to sell the house just to get something bigger!! We may end up in something the exact same size! We just feel like we need to rent awhile and not own. We've been feeling really "tied down" by this house for so long and we just want to be released of that. Also, when we purchased the house our plan was to be there less than 5 years so we signed with an adjustable rate mortgage. Our rates could change in a year and a half so we are ready to get out from under that!
Just wanted you all to know I am not just chasing "bigger and better" at this point. Not saying it wouldn't be niceeee....BUT we are looking for what is in our budget, NOT what will be bigger!
Laci, I can really appreciate your wanting to "see" God working in your life. We always know He is, but we wonder if He has forgotten us while He's working somewhere else. Since we have started attending FishHawk, we have been able to see God at work all around us. Not just in our own lives, but the lives of our church family. It has been amazing some of the things we have seen Him do and a real boost to our faith, too. I can't wait to see how He continues to work in your lives in the future!
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