A Good Word

Today’s sermon was about prayer. Ronnie is preaching through the spiritual disciplines and today was Prayer day. I took notes and hung on every word, because we’ve been praying about a specific thing for months now, and nothing has happened. I am feeling discouraged and wanted some thoughts on what to do about it. 

So Ronnie tells us today that prayer is expected. Prayer is learned, and prayer is answered. It was a really great message. 

At lunch today I told him how much the sermon meant to me. I told him that selling our house has been a much bigger test of our faith than we thought it would be. I just honestly don’t know why it hasn’t sold. I know it’s a slow market, but I guess I just really thought that God would have sold it by now, because that makes sense to me. 

I have thought all along that surely God knows that my son needs to be in public school for first grade. Surely I’m not called to homeschool. Surely God doesn’t want me to pay the registration fee for the girls’ preschool so I can be home with Aidan, and then if the house does sell, we’d lose that money. Those are all things that will have to happen if the house doesn’t sell, and it just doesn’t make sense to me why God would want that for us. 

But I’m not God. 

So I’m willing to do what he tells me to do, although so far, I haven’t felt like homeschooling is the answer. I have no idea what will happen here, but I learned today that I must not stop praying about it, just because so far, the answer doesn’t make sense to my human logic. I’ve got to pray, because prayer changes me. Prayer, that constant communication with God, keeps me close to him, therefore it’s easier to accept those things that I just don’t understand. 

Let me give you some background as to why we’re here in the first place. When Michael first got the job he has now, we were thrilled with how God was providing for us, and the whole reason he does what he does is so I can be home. The job was a great situation. We had 2 little kids with no plans for 3, and could make it fine on his entry level salary. 

He commuted from our little rental house in Jackson for a few months, and that got old very fast. We knew we needed to be in Madison county. We started house hunting, and realized quickly that we could not afford a house in Madison with just one of us working. So we found a cute little gray house in Canton that met all of our needs, except for the school district. I knew it was a risk, but I also thought we’d just move in a few years, no problem. Right after we got a contract on the house, I found out that Paisley was on her way. We accepted that we’d just have to squeeze for a year or so and make it work. 

Living here has been wonderful. Michael comes home for lunch every day. He is home quickly after work. We can go by and see him anytime. If I have to run an errand, he can come home for a few minutes. It has blessed us so completely. We have a huge yard, and no neighbors. My kids can run and play and ride bikes to their hearts’ content. 

But school is imminent. I really want Aidan to be in a classroom. Plus, my girls are busting at the seams now. Molly asks daily for her own room. We all squeeze into the tiny downstairs bathroom to brush teeth at night because the kids would rather use ours than theirs upstairs. It’s just getting a little cramped. 

So I’m praying. I know God will answer. He is my father, and he will take care of me. He has never made a mistake or done anything wrong. He is perfect, and his plan is perfect. I will continue to pray, to know his heart and his will better. 

And I’ll be thankful for our little gray house in the almost-country and be the best homeschool mom ever, if that’s what he wants.