Staying

A couple weeks ago, we finally sold our old house. We did not get the price we had hoped for, due to a drop in the real estate market over the summer, and when all the numbers were added up we were way short of where we were supposed to be budget-wise when we bought this house. We figured the only thing we could do would be to sell our new house and move again. We explored every avenue and option and did a lot of praying. Should we rent or buy? Move closer to work or move out-of-state and closer to family? List with a realtor or do "for sale by owner"? Or could we refinance, tighten our belts, and hang on for a while, hoping we wouldn't have any car repairs or medical bills? What made the most sense was listing with a realtor, then moving to a rental near Jared's work. But then the realtor's market analysis came back with a suggested sale price lower than what we needed to get out of this mess. Getting out would still be the best plan if the market is going to continue to fall. But many say it is going to go back up. We have no way of knowing and we felt like we were gambling with our future. So we prayed harder, and the answer came: "Stay."

I am so grateful for God's guiding hand in my life. I have faith that He will continue to guide us and bless us, as he has done in the past. This has been a tricky situation and we may still have hard times ahead because of the tight financial situation we are now it, but I trust that He will lead us through.

I love this house and I'm grateful I don't have to move again right now. I was willing to do it for the good of our family, and as I remarked to several friends, "I'd rather lose a house than a child." But I'm so relieved now I can just stop wondering what's going to happen to us and focus on staying here. I can enjoy the house, looking forward to Christmas morning in front of the fireplace. And even if we have no money for anything else, at least my kids have a fabulous playground in their own backyard, and I have a fabulous kitchen and pantry, and a fabulous master suite, and a fabulous family to enjoy it all with.