Notice: Kinda lengthy but worth the read…
Last year, my husband and I sold our first home that we had rented for years and were thankful for our renter. How thee ever, we had to do some costly RENOVATIONS after he left and still had to pay the mortgage. Seeing that no money was coming in, too much was going out of our current household budget. For 9 whole months, we paid the mortgage, worked on the house, praying no one would invite themselves and live. We eventually had to turn the water and lights so the people can see it’s livable. Good thing, we had GREAT neighbors who were looking out because that could have easily been a squatter’s dream come true. The children even complained that they couldn’t do anything because they had to work on a house they didn’t live in. They had a point but the investment of time that we all were making was going to benefit them too in the long run. Honestly, they didn’t care about that mess. They wanted their time.
Photo Credit: www.chadbad.org. "Faith doesn't make sense. It makes miracles." ~Bishop Larry Lawrence Brandon, Senior Pastor of Praise Temple FGBC
Because we added utilities, more money was going out. In theory, we understood the reason. According to the real estate people, it was a buyer’s market but it seemed like no one wanted to buy what we were selling. We started at one price, then we had to decrease. Then, decrease again. It seemed like NOTHING was coming through for us. People were coming to view the house. Sometimes, it sounded like we were going to make a deal. We had several offers that fell through the cracks. Disappointment after disappointment. Once there was a couple who came (3) three times to look at the house. It looked promising. Then, they dropped an offer on my realtor, Deborah Bland, that even she was dumbfounded. The couple’s offer was significantly less than the asking price. Because she had to disclose all offers, I asked “Is that some type of a joke?” Sadly, it was not. They were dead serious.
One day, we were visiting my mother-in-love. I was telling her about my frustrations. I mean, I would anxiously wake up telling my husband, “we got to sell this house, man.” She started sharing a word that God had given her regarding the Appointed Time. For those who are not familiar with Christian verbiage, a word could be a phrase or a mini-sermon that is given to a person or a group for a specific time or season. As she spoke about holding on to an expectation while patiently waiting and working for the Appointed Time, I knew that that was for us. I held on to it and shared it with my husband. He agreed too. Because we know the importance of seed sowing, we decided to sow a financial seed. Keep in mind, we still were paying a mortgage and utilities on a place where we did not live. It sounded foolish but we were walking by faith. Somebody might say, “You should have just let the house go. Walk away.” Trust me, that was something we thought about; however, our integrity just would not let us do it. Soon after we sowed the seed, there was an investor who contacted our realtor, sent her a reasonable offer and then set the appointment to see the home. That was weird but whatever. On the day of the viewing, they were ready to move forward with the sale. SERIOUSLY!!! A few weeks later, our first home where we started our family and made beautiful memories was sold. It was bittersweet but truly an amazing experience.
I want to drive home the point that the Appointed Time is waiting on us to walk in faith by doing the work and being obedient. What are you working on and believing the Lord to do? The Lord is waiting to move on your behalf. Do your part and watch the Creator do the rest!