Tag: moving

This is What He’s Put Before Us

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Today is The Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year for some. Over the past ten days or so, I’ve been reflecting on my life and ways I can make some changes to better serve God.

We’ve been on quite the roller coaster ride over the past three years.

We’ve moved twice while working towards debt freedom. Our current home is a lovely little cabin tucked into a hillside.

We purchased this home thinking it would be a good investment property. I really didn’t think we would be here too long once our home in South Carolina sold. What I didn’t realize was the conviction I would feel to put our house sale proceeds on this home instead of putting it towards a more “suitable” piece of property. This is what my husband wanted to do, too. Our mortgage now sits at $33,699.

While our mortgage balance may be low, oh how I miss having a larger piece of property. I really don’t like our current parking situation. I have hardly anywhere to garden. I really want to set up a new greenhouse, but where? Our children can no longer ride their bikes. I definitely will need to get creative while living here!

It’s kind of funny, since one of the #1 things I was looking for in a home was a flat yard. Since I thought we would be living here temporarily, I didn’t even take the yard into consideration.

And seeds of discontentment have taken root.

Never mind the fact that the nicer pieces of land that we’ve “owned” in the past didn’t even belong to us. They belonged to the bank and carried a hefty mortgage. I’ve conveniently forgotten how crushing a large mortgage feels.

And ladies, I know just how wrong my thinking is.

Those seeds of discontentment are covetousness. It is a sin that needs to die.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Exodus 20:17

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”

Hebrews 13:5

Looking longingly at home/land packages that I think will better suit our needs will not get me anywhere. This is what He’s put before us. The Father believes this small hillside cabin fits our needs perfectly. Otherwise we wouldn’t be here. And who am I to question Him?

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Today, on Yom Kippur, I’m asking the Spirit to help me put this sin to death. The Lord has given me all that I need. He has given me a lovely home to care for. He has given us a path to debt and mortgage freedom. If we are here long term, in time we can implement terracing, Lord willing.

The Day of Atonement is all about repentance. I’m so grateful that our God offers His mercy freely to those who turn from their sins.

Lord willing, I will share how we recognize this day with our children sometime soon. I misplaced some of our Feast day things during the move and last night I was left scrambling to put something together for them. The Feast of Tabernacles is coming up and I shared what we’ve done in previous years here.

Blessings, ladies!

Moving to the Lowcountry

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Boy, have we had a busy summer. Most of it has passed in a blur.

Things have definitely changed. Today I sit in a home filled with boxes. Looking out my window, I see a sand driveway that meanders through the trees. A gigantic dragonfly drifts past my view on its way to a live oak tree.

We have moved to the low country!

I can still hardly believe it. But God so graciously prepared my heart for this nearly one year ago.

My husband found a job that he wanted to apply for, and so I began to research the area thoroughly. The job was taken off of the board before he applied, but I had already really looked into this place. So when a different position at the same employer popped up nearly six months later, I quickly gave my blessing. I’m so grateful to have a husband who asks for my opinion.

And so here we are. It hasn’t been easy to leave everything we once knew. Everything familiar. But the way each and every event surrounding this move seemed to just fall into place, we believe it is God’s will for us.

In our quest to lessen our debt load, we have downsized. We are now living in 1800 square feet, which is definitely doable, but my family of ten is having to make some adjustments. Purging has been hard on my mama heart, and I still have a long way to go. I simply brought too much, even after purging a lot before moving.

Our home in Georgia is on the market, and we are currently in contract negotiations with a couple. We are praying for God’s will to be done, and at the same time we really hope that it sells sooner rather than later.

I seem to have both good days and bad days right now. We have so much hope for the future, and yet I miss all that was left behind.

Another struggle I have faced is my itch to explore the area. As a homeschooling mama, I really want to take my children to all of the cool new places around here. At the same time, I realize that I need to concentrate more on making this house a home for my family.

Through it all, God has been so gracious. About a week and a half ago, we thought we would need to evacuate due to Hurricane Irma. As the crow flies, we are about fifty to sixty miles inland, but I guess with all of the low lying land and waterways that wasn’t quite enough. My husband was going to stay behind due to his job. This all happened within two weeks of our move, and I was a basket case! It really put things into perspective for me though. I realized that I didn’t care where we lived, I just wanted to be together.

Anyhow, we are getting settled little by little. I am looking forward to when this place truly feels like home. By God’s grace, we will get there.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I would love to connect with you on Facebook. I’d also like to invite you to my Mary & Martha Facebook Page, and to my Mary & Martha website. It is a such a blessing to serve you!