That stinkin' house has been a constant frustration.
Every time I drive by it I have to either look the other way or suppress the urge to growl. We never wanted to be landlords. We knew it would involve watching people not give our cute little house the same love we did. We understood the risk in getting our rent money and scrambling to meet expenses. And all our little scenarios have played out just as we thought.
It was almost a year ago I asked God for a miracle. I asked Him to take care of that little problem for us, bring a buyer and save the day. A tall order, I know, but I figured if I had faith God could do it, He would.
But He didn't.
And the saga continues. I've prayed about it and put it on my Bible study prayer list which assures me it is being lifted up faithfully to God. It occurred to me this summer that maybe I am missing something God wants me to do with these particular renters. I felt God telling me to talk with them about Him and invite them to church. Okay, God. Is that what You've been concerned about all along, bringing these people to You and not our comfort? I can do that. Is that what You want? No problem. Then before I had a chance to call her that day, she called ME to tell me they had burned up the stove.
What ARE we doing here, God?
~ Oswald Chambers ~
The miraculous answers are wonderful. They make our lives easy and help us feel heard and cared for, but it is the unanswered prayers that stretch our faith, that confirm our true devotion. I want to be like Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego who said, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
I'll keep praying about this stinkin' house. I'll follow His lead as I interact with this family. Though I want to smack them half the time, I'll keep praying for them. I DID have a good conversation with her about God and invited them to church. I won't stop praying for God to do something miraculous, but even if He does not, I will trust Him, for that is real faith, following when we don't understand.
Visit Iris for more interpretations on this quote.
11 comments:
I do not know if my story will help, but... I had a stinkin' house in Texas for years. The Army moved me to Washington and it never sold. I was the proud owner of a rental. I now owned two homes and had two house payments. I had enough money in saving to allow the rental to sit empty 60 days. I never had to tap into that money.
When my husband lost his job in Washington and immediately was offered a position with a former employer in Minnesota, I started to sweat. What if the house in Washington didn't sell? Would I end up with two rentals?
Well, God found buyers for both houses. We had two closing in a 10 day period. The money we made on the house in Washington paid off our credit card debt and paid the cost of moving our furniture across country. The money we made on the sale of the house in Texas? Provided the downpayment on the house in Minnesota. We would have had to pay mortgage insurance without it. If the house in San Antonio had sold when I wanted, I would have probably taken a few more vacations... ate out a few more times... for sure, I would have had a better wardrobe, but I wouldn't have had the money. The sale of the home came at the perfect time and under the perfect conditions. It took seven years for my prayers to be answered ~
OH, can I relate! My husband had a stinkin' house when I met him . . . I agreed to live in it temporarily and it turned into 9 years. It was a nightmare. I couldn't wait to get out of there . . . and then we ended up being landlords for awhile. I can't complain about our tenants. They were fine, but there were too many of them crammed into that place & it made the house look smaller than it was, driving off potential buyers. That thing was like an albatross around my neck . . . when I finally got rid of it, I said, "Never will I be a landlord again." And I am sticking with that plan.
Hang in there. The Lord will deliver you from this. Eventually. When He's good and ready. When you have learned what you are meant to learn. For sure. When? Dunno. That's the trick. Arrrrrrgggghhhhhhhh!
Dear Tami,
As everyone has said hang in there. I will be praying for you and the house. I have been there too. May the Lord bless you this week and always.
In his endless love,
Angel ():)
I will pray that you would find peace in the midst of this stinkin' situation!
I couldn't help thinking that perhaps God's purpose is "none of the above" i.e. none of the easy answers. That maybe it's not about praying fervently until someone finally buys the house, and maybe it's not about getting those renters to church. Perhaps... and I don't know, I'm just thinking out loud here... but perhaps it's just about... love? About acceptance, maybe?
By that I mean, just loving on those renters without having to invite them to church? And acceptance... just accepting the situation and letting go of trying to control it? (And continually praying for any outcome is, of course, one way we try to control things.) Maybe this is one of those situations where "persevering in prayer" means persistently turning over control of it, and asking God to lead you IF and WHEN He wants you to take any action.
I know you'll keep being totally faithful in this situation, and I know you'll be praising God no matter what His answers are! But I just wonder if there aren't some important things He's trying to teach you by prolonging the "landlord" season of your lives.
You know me, always trying to cause trouble. (Really, I just wish God would send you a buyer. But somehow I don't think it's that simple.)
I so often find that my faith grows the most in the "even if He doesn't" moments. Praying for you during this time. We've dealt with 2 houses that didn't want to sell (but praise God never had to be landlords). Blessings my friend.
Bless you sweet one, praying for you.
Thank you for sharing your story of the "stinkin' house." You may be amazed at how God works out all the details. Do hang in there - holding on to God. :)
Rachelle,
Yea, girl, you caught what I was saying. It's NOT that simple. God's NOT going to make it that easy and that is where real faith comes in, especially when He says no.
Wow Tami! I love your blog!! Can't believe I have been missing out all this time. I have prayed for an opportunity to fellowship with others in a way that would deepen my spirituality and bring me closer to God's Word. I had a couple of friends offer to come over to do a bible study, but because of our situation, couldn't do that right now. So, I hope you don't mind me "stopping by" occasionally for a visit. :) I have really enjoyed your "visits" on my blog. But this, this is so awesome what you are doing!!!
And, in response to this entry, all I can suggest is for you to ask yourself the two questions Jack presented in church on Sunday. That really helped me see things differently. ttyl
Love, Denise R.
Hi Tami,
This is the first time I seen your blog. I was looking at Denise R Blog and went to the link for yours and looked at your links at others. They are great. I've once again gave my life over to God this winter after watching FAcing the Giants and really want to live for God and read his word and do whatever I need to do. It seems I take so many baby steps and have so many questions about how to do this and what my purpose is and how to reach out to others, I'm so scared on so many topics, but I can get lots of encouragement from you and others I'm exited!!!
Thanks a bunch for the blog, talk to you again. Pam Siebrandt
Oh.my.goodness. What an incredible display of faith. I think that sometimes we will (okay ME) stop praying, because God is not answering our prayer in a particular situation.
Thank you so much for sharing and I am praying that you will see God's hand in this particular situation soon.
Blessings to you and yours.
Post a Comment