Quiet Moments

One of the first things we did before moving in to our new house was ready the bedrooms.  Both downstairs bedrooms were in rough shape (the bedroom being used as the nursery was in the roughest shape... post to come), so some cleaning and some painting was in order.  Our master bedroom went from a flat, dull blue to a brilliant, bright white.  Add a new king bed with cream bedding, some home sewn curtains, and some white-washed furniture and you have a mighty serene atmosphere.

Enter my two sons.  Our second boy was born in mid-July, and neither enjoy a calming environment as much as I do.  So usually my day is spent relishing the ever increasing boyishness of my children - stepping over landmines of plastic trucks, bikes, planes, and trains, pretending to fall down after a karate chop, inspecting bugs close up (and trying not to eat them), etc, etc.  My days are anything but serene. Or calm.

Today was one of those days.  Clarence, our one month old, was screaming in his crib, waiting to be changed.  His brother, Waylon, ran from me half dressed, laughing at my dishevelment as I attempted to put pants on his (thankfully) diapered butt.  The dogs were whining, begging to be let outside, and I was still in my pajamas, hair pulled back in an unkempt pony tail. I was becoming more and more discouraged, when I happened to glance in the corner of our bedroom.

We placed a chair there, next to the window.  During my birthing time with Clarence, I asked Patrick to leave that chair open, to invite His presence in literally.  I imagined Jesus sitting there, in that chair, smiling at me and watching over me as I pushed Clarence into this world.  So I still imagine God sitting in our bedroom, in His chair, watching over us.

And there was that chair, a beam of light falling perfectly across the back.  And suddenly, peace.

Waylon plopped down and I managed to put his pants on (which later he shed after they got wet), Clarence dropped his screams to a slight whimper, and the dogs were silent.  But most importantly, the turmoil that had been building in my inner self with all the ruckus went still.  I smiled at my boys, glancing back at that chair, and knew that peace was always mine.

Yeah, maybe my immediate world is a bit loud and hectic.  But every time Waylon ran from me, I had a son to chase.  Every time Clarence cried for attention, I had a baby to tend.  I have children to love.  Dirty dishes in the sink mean we have food to eat.  Laundry piling up means we have clothes to wear.  Monthly bills mean we have a roof over our heads.  We are so blessed.

Later, when both boys were napping and the house was silent, I snagged a picture of that light-filled chair, to remind myself that He is always there.  I allowed my peaceful heart to enjoy a quiet, serene moment in my house.

And I thanked God for all the moments that are not peaceful.

Becoming Johnson Acres

Let me tell you the story of how we were blessed with our house.

In July of 2013, we put our house up for sale and found a buyer, all within a week.  Thinking we would only be out of a home for a few months, we put all our stuff in storage and moved our 6-month-old son, our three dogs, two cats, and ourselves into my husband’s parents' attic space.  It was a bit cramped, but we were all together and happy with a roof over our heads.  We prayed daily for God to send us a house, and although we doubted at times, we believed in His promise.

A certain scripture kept coming back to me, over and over.  Jeremiah 29:11

And when I say it kept coming back to me, I mean I would randomly stumble across these words while perusing the “everything” section of pinterest, or our pastor would quote it during his sermon, or someone on facebook would draw up a poster featuring this verse.  It seemed to be everywhere I looked.  Almost like God was patting my back and saying, “I got this. Just TRUST Me.”

There is something I haven’t mentioned that occurred around the fourth month of living with the in-laws. 

I got pregnant.

Can you see where the uncertainty would really begin to grate on you at this time?  Waylon was a miracle – I was supposed to be infertile .  We assumed a second baby would be just as hard to conceive.  Surprise!

We also choose to birth our babies at home, in a pool, with a midwife.  Leaving our first home, where Waylon was born, to pursue a ministry position, was so heart wrenching for me.  And the way things were looking, we were not going to find a house before this baby came.  Renting a new place, buying a temporary home, or birthing at the in-laws seemed to be our only options.

Then one day while checking out Zillow (something Patrick and I did daily) a house dropped $25K in price.  INTO OUR PRICE RANGE.  I immediately sent the link to Patrick and called our realtor.  I had looked at this house a hundred thousand times over the past two years and dreamed.  It was huge, with some land, in the exact area we wanted to be.  But way over budget.  It seemed like dreams could be coming true.

First hurdle.  There were some financing issues.  Second hurdle.  Our realtor was not comfortable dealing with this type of foreclosure.  Third hurdle.  We lost the house.  Before we could get our offer in, someone else offered above asking and got it.

Heartbroken does not even begin to describe our feelings.  When we heard the news, Patrick and I wept openly with each other, thinking our chance for a home had past.  Back to renting or birthing in an attic.  We pulled ourselves together though, and put our faith back in God.  We knew that if this house was truly meant to be ours, then it would come back to us.  Even if the other offer was cash and over the asking price.  We were at nine months living with Patrick’s parents.

We decided to leave our current realtor and look for a house on our own.  Another foreclosure property came up, a little further out of the area we wanted.  While looking at that property with its realtor, we learned she was the original listing agent for “our” house before it became a foreclosure.

That next Monday, she gave Patrick a call.  The offer on “our” house had fallen through.  Within a few hours, she had our offer in and the bank had accepted it. 

We closed on May 1^st, and we moved in on May 8^th. 

So blessed and happy to be in OUR HOUSE and to start growing God’s Kingdom around us.