The Story of my First Home Purchase
The View when I first saw it.
The first house I had found and REALLY wanted was not coming together for me, and my offer was not accepted. I truly believed that if God had a house for me in Texas, He would lead me to it if I just trusted Him to lead me step by step every day.
I was just driving through the surrounding neighborhood and happened to notice a house that was obviously vacant, but there was no sign in the yard. I could barely make out a reddish sign in the front window, but it was impossible to read from the street.
I parked and walked up to the window (carefully stepping through the flower bed.) The sign was for a property management company, but there was no indication if it was for sale or a rental. So, standing in the flowerbed, I pulled my cell phone out of its holster and called the number. (Don't you just LOVE modern technology?!)
The man who answered was speechless when I told him what address I was calling about. I repeated myself and after a couple of seconds of complete silence he said, "How in the world did you find out about that property? We only listed it 10 minutes ago!"
I laughed and explained that I was looking in this neighborhood and how I had ended up there. He gave me the details and everything sounded great, so I called my realtor, Beth Conkle, and we scheduled a showing for the next afternoon.
I did a little homework and discovered that it was newer construction than the surrounding neighborhood. The style blends right in, but it's 40+ years younger than the neighboring houses!
As I was driving over to see the house for the first time with my realtor, I prayed that if this is the house God wanted for me, that He would give me a clear sign - one I would not mistake or overlook.
When Beth walked up the sidewalk, she said, “Well, looka here!” She had spotted a little plastic cross on the ground by the porch. I wondered to myself, “God, is this it? Is this Your sign?” I didn’t say anything, but I did take a picture!
We went in and looked around and although it was pretty dirty, filthy even, I could see that it had good bones. There were no obvious problems like holes in the walls or cracks in the brick. The heater and water heater were newer (the house only being 7 years old) The wiring all looked new and the electrical panel was more modern than any of the other houses I had looked at. I still doubted that the little cross was my sign, but I liked what I was seeing. I took pictures and Beth and I poked around the cabinets, and although everything looked good, I still wasn’t sure. I remembered to look for cracks in the ceilings and corners, so I went back into each room examining the ceilings. That’s when I saw them.
In the small back bedroom, there were glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. I immediately recognized my sign. For me it could not have been clearer than actual writing on the wall.
I was a little girl when I asked Jesus to come live in my heart. I was alone in my bed (the top bunk) looking at the glow-in-the-dark stars my Mom had stuck on our ceiling. I knew one thing. Jesus wasn’t in my heart and I wanted Him to be there. That is all I needed to know. I asked Him in my heart under those stars and the moment I saw these stars, I had my sign.
Beth took one look at my face and my tears, and asked “What’s wrong?” I said “I need to go make an offer on this house right now. And I told her the significance of the stars. We were both in tears and we prayed together before we left to make the offer.
Now, it’s been over a year since that day. The “rest of the story” will have to wait for another day. I can tell you that it has been quite a learning experience for me.
Although it has been a roller coaster journey with more ups and downs that I can recall, God has demonstrated the truth of Romans 8:28: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
We can trust Him with the big and little decisions, the day by day, moment by moment, step by step decisions.
He loves us. Jesus was praying to the Father in John 17:23 when He said: "I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me."
Scripture makes no promise that you will always feel loved, nor that circumstances will always make it obvious that you are loved. God simply promises that you ARE loved. No suffering or tragedy will ever separate you from God’s love (Romans 8:35-39).
He has a plan for our lives: I say this because I know what I am planning for you," says the LORD. "I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
He wants to provide for us. “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” abundant life, one translation calls it - another says “I want them to have it in the fullest possible way.” John 10:10
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
He wants us to depend upon Him for our needs.
"My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need." (Philippians 4:19)
He wants us to put Him first in all things and not to worry
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:31-33)
This is my paraphrase:
"So, do not worry about where you shall live, whether you get married or stay single, if you live in Texas or move somewhere else, Our Heavenly Father knows the dreams and fears and desires of your heart and knows exactly what you need –so –Put Him first in all things and Step By Step He’ll Lead Me and I will Follow Him All of My Days.”
Be sure to check out my YouTube videos of my house before, during and after the transformation!
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