Placing Importance on What's Important

Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. - Matthew 22:37-38

In the winter of 2005, not too long after Evan and I were married, we began one of the most exciting times in a young couple’s life together…looking for our own house. We had been renting in the Cape, and really loved the area, and decided it was time to put our roots down.

I spent hours scouring the MLS listings and real estate websites; we did many a “drive by” all over town, until we finally found something we really loved…and it was perfect! The house had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a two car garage, a large fenced backyard, and a beautiful swimming pool. The lanai even had a pet door. It was as if the house was practically begging us to move in. And, the house was only one block away from our church...so this surely had to be a God thing! I was filled with hope, optimism, and visions of curtains and color swatches dancing in my head.

We began working with David, our mortgage broker, and he crunched the numbers. At such a young age, I was unfamiliar with the process of getting pre-approved for a loan; I just assumed you didn’t buy the diamond until afteryou knew you were in love, right?

At first David thought it would be nearly impossible to finance what we wanted…we had little to put down, and had only been living in the area a couple years – our careers weren’t exactly what banks considered to be established. Finally, after almost a week, he came back to us with what we’d needed before our search even began – APPROVAL! But, there was a catch…in order to finance the house, he’d need to do some “creative” things with the loan. Those creative things, which would allow us to buy the house, would also make our mortgage payment over $2,400! Nearly double our rent payment!

Could we afford it? Barely. It was doable, if we cut out some other luxuries (you know, like bread and eggs). Was it the best decision? Well, obviously not. Evan, who is quite the optimist, but also a great realist, managed to get my head out of the clouds. After many agonizing days and nights of running the budget numbers, thinking of ways to save, even considering adding part-time jobs to our already busy lives, we agreed that this was not, in fact, the house of our dreams.

To be honest, I was devastated. I felt that we’d worked hard, and deserved a home of our own to really begin our lives in. I couldn’t understand why God would burst my bubble. I spent many days after “losing”the house in quite a funk; sometimes crying, sometimes yelling, but most of the time I was simply confused.

After some time, I realized that I had put so much time and energy on getting this particular house, that I’d completely lost sight of what was truly important. We had a roof over our heads; we had food in the refrigerator, careers that paid the bills, and a happy life. Buying this house was not really that important, in hindsight. God had already blessed us tremendously, and here I was, complaining about not having more. This was the reality check I needed to understand that God was priority one in my life, not finding a house.

I’ve heard it said that, “He who dies with the most toys, wins”…but I’ve also heard that he who dies with the most toys does just that – dies. There is no great reward for accumulating “stuff.” God doesn’t really care if your house is 1,200 square feet, or 12,000 square feet. And while it’s nice to have new things, to take vacations, to splurge every once in a while, we shouldn’t let the things that we don’t have become the “ones that got away” in our minds. God provides for us; he give us exactly what we need, at exactly the right time. We just don’t always realize it. He wants you to be happy, and He wants to bless you, but He also wants you to keep Him first in your life and give thanks for what you do have. His timing, and His gifts, are always perfect.

So, what about His perfect timing in blessings? Well, a little over a year later, at a time when we weren’t even looking for a house, I came across a listing in one of those real estate magazines Publix has on display in their lobby. And wouldn’t you know…I found “the one.” It was three bedrooms, two baths, a one car garage, large fenced yard, a beautiful pool…and a pet door on the lanai.

I was extremely hesitant about beginning the process again, but this time, we did it right. And that all-important first step? No, not pre-approval on the loan…pre-approval from the Big Guy. We spent a few days praying, asking for His guidance, and felt that this was the right time. We put in an offer, which was accepted within days. Obtaining a loan was a breeze –and not $2,400 a month! Five years later, I still thank God each and every day for blessing us with this home, and the roots we’ve begun. He made it happen.