Thursday, May 14, 2009

Haven't Sold the House Yet

So here's the latest on this house selling process. We went on the market on April 6. Nothing for the first two weeks, but I was still very excited to know my house was on the internet and there was a sign in our front yard. Going out was like a game because the house had to be "show ready". It also made for a wonderful homecoming as the place had never looked better. While gone to Maine we had the one showing, and then FIVE more showings the following week. On that Friday (May 1), Rappy (our realtor) called saying we had an OFFER!! And he mentioned that there might be another coming. Well, that sent me over the edge and I began telling everyone that we might be having two offers and we were smelling a bidding war!! Woohoo! Anybody with sense knows that the worst thing to do when anticipating something big is to count your chickens before they hatch.

There was no contact with the possible second offer person and the first real offer fell through after we went back and forth with two counter offers. In my heart I truly wasn't upset that it fell through and had actually prayed in the process that if the woman couldn't afford it, she wouldn't take it. Yes, I want a new house but not at the expense of someone's financial ruin.

Ok, that was two weeks ago now and there's been NO ACTIVITY. Here's the part I didn't want to see happen... me losing hope that anyone will ever show up again and get so frustrated every time I tidy the house before going somewhere. My human nature tells me to just forget about it (i.e. making everything look perfect) when I'm running late (usually always) or just feeling that it looks good enough. But then I remember asking the Lord to bless this time of selling our house and to use it for His glory (i.e. people recognizing that this process was all of His power as I am hopeless in keeping a tidy house). I want everytime I leave my garage to know that if the showing agency were to call, I can say, "Yes, I'd love for you to show my house in 30 minutes." One of these days when I do drive out of the garage, I WILL receive that call, and that WILL be the family who buys our house, and we WILL be on our way to buying our new home.

Guess it just boils down to me very much disliking anything which requires a lot of perseverance. I'm a microwave girl, cable internet user, drive-thru window orderer. But just to use another anonymous phrase, whatever does not kill us, makes us stronger. And further more, I want to grow closer to my Lord during this process and more like Him. Today was the last day of our BSF year. We've examined the life of Moses by studying verse by verse the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Moses was just a regular guy and yet because of his intimately, close relationship with God, he wasn't. Moses spoke regularly and audibly with God on a mountaintop, performed miracles before Pharaoh in Egypt, witnessed plagues and the Red Sea opening, led a million people on a 40-year "hike" through the desert, listened to them complain for those same 40 years, and then died peacefully just before the people entered the land God had promised them.

The frustration I might feel after chasing two children, keeping up with laundry and meals for one family, and tidying this house for a month's time is laughable in comparison. Moses is remembered with these words, "Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt — to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel" (Deuteronomy 34:10-12).

I pray to be like Moses who became like God by going to Him daily and seeking His power instead of his own.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kim, I know how discouraging the house-selling process can be. I think everyone struggles with feeling the way you have been feeling. We only had Drew when we sold our house, but I can remember how much I was straightening up.

I remember that we were just at the point where we were going to lower our price, when God brought us the perfect buyer. That may or may not happen for y'all, but I know that God has a plan to do good for you no matter what!

Casey Wallace said...

Wishing you luck in the coming weeks! Maybe with summer upon us, it'll sell very soon.