Day 282 - Lesson Learned

Let's face it; in general, no one wants to move to a smaller house, especially when your family is expanding. But, that's what we had to do. We moved our family of five (plus two dogs) into a two-bedroom home. We moved when our youngest wasn't quite one yet, so it wasn't ideal trying to figure out our sleeping situation. It took a few months and eventually we figured it out (thank goodness for a little loft area). We are all now cozy in this little home, almost a year later.

Sure, I complained and had a hard time adjusting (okay I complained a lot), but we actually moved before Mark was laid off. What a blessing this little house has become! If we wouldn't have moved I'm not sure how we would have found a new home with no income. No one would have wanted to rent to us, but God knew what we needed before we did and somehow ten months later we have come up with our rent payment every month, by the grace of God, because no math equation could solve how we have done it. Many nights my only prayer was asking Him to keep our family safe, healthy, and in this home. I never would have imagined we would have made it, and yet here we are, happy, healthy and safe!

This home didn't just come by itself, we have settled into an amazing neighborhood with new friends and many more blessings. The kids have friends their own age to play with every day, and we enjoy having new friends too. It's exactly what we would have wanted if someone would have asked us what kind of neighborhood we wanted to live in. It is right in between our old neighborhood with a sprinkle of drama and another past neighborhood with absolutely no kids or adults to be friendly with. It's lovely.

This is all just more proof that even though you feel despair or feel like you are being punished, maybe God is actually providing you with other things your heart has been longing for. You cannot have everything, but God can give you some things. We are so blessed and this little house rarely feels little anymore. Faith really does bring joy if you let God do His work. I wish I wouldn't have felt so much despair when we first moved in, but now I am seeing the bigger picture. God took care of our needs ahead of our problems and while things were less than idea, he showered us with many blessings in an uncomfortable situation. Lesson learned!