Mustard seed

Our old keys as well as the gate and garage door openers were all handed over today. A letter was left on the kitchen counter, welcoming the new owners and praying that they too, would be blessed with cherished memories, just as we had, in that first home of ours. Today, escrow officially closed. It is finished.

Some people probably thought we were a bit premature in planning our move. Especially in this real estate market. With over 40 days left in escrow, we had found our rental and secured our deposit. In mid December, I even went so far as to mail out our "new address" along with our family Christmas photo. That was part of my frugal and practical side... you know, trying to save a stamp. :)

Even our realtor was a bit surprised last month when he received our Christmas card. He mentioned to Morgan that we must feel confident.

I'm not going to lie, every now and then, it felt a little touch and go. Some weeks, there were minor set-backs and glitches along the way. We'd have to work them out with the buyers, agents, and other folks who were involved in the process. But as each day and then each week passed, it seemed like we were slowly inching our way towards that illusive closing date.

In a prior post, I wrote that our confidence lies in God. Call me crazy but as soon as we got our (one and only) offer on Thanksgiving Day, I knew that we would somehow get here. Do offers often fall out of escrow for any number of reasons? Yeah, you bet. Especially those that last for more than 30 days. Ours was just shy of 60.

Even as we waited for all those months to receive an offer, I knew that God had a plan. It was just a matter of time before He brought us the right buyer. And in the process, He used that time to grow our faith and change our priorities- to make them His own.

I believe something magical happens when our priorities begin to align with God's. The wind begins to change and God does what He does best... work miracles behind the scenes. With one breath, He can whisper change into motion.

No, this was a gift. A gift that could only come from a mighty and gracious God. Therefore, in my heart, I just knew that this was all going to work out and that He would take care of all the details.

Matthew 17:20 says, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

"Everything is possible for him who believes." ~ Mark 9:23

And one of my favorite verses (our daughter, Faith was named after this verse), "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." ~ Hebrews 11:1

The bible challenges us to walk by faith, not by sight. I suppose that's what faith is all about; having the confidence of things hoped for; the unforeseen, the yet to come. The world says, "Seeing is believing" but God says, "Believing is seeing!"

So, here we are... at the closing of one chapter and the beginning of a new. It's been a GREAT week so far. I can't wait to share with you everything I love about our new home, where we are in life, and what we've learned along the way...

Faith (as small as a mustard seed) CAN move mountains.