A few months ago, we saw a house with land that we really wanted to buy. I had this peaceful, comforting feeling where I could see us living there for life. The seller accepted our offer, so we started the process and put our house on the market. We prayed from the beginning, “God, if this is the plan you want for our life, make it happen-if not, shut the door.”
Weeks/months went by and no offers on our house. If you have kids and are trying to show your house, you know it’s not an easy process! Constantly keeping the house clean and picking up toys – shoving everything in closets – not fun! I tried to keep positive, but none of the showings turned into anything.
As the inspections went on with the house we were buying, problems started to arise. Foundation problems, septic tank issues, cracks – it was definitely going to be a fixer upper.
The peaceful, comforting feeling was slowly fading away.
Could we handle a fixer upper? My husband and I kept having doubts about the new house, but the door wasn’t completely closed. God left it open a crack and we weren’t sure what to do.
God slam the door shut if this isn’t supposed to be, I thought.
One day our relator called saying we had an investor who was really interested in buying our house. We were excited because it sounded promising, but only a few hours later our relator called again saying the house we were buying – someone came and bought it with cash.
God closed the door.
Because we had been praying about the process the entire time, the closed door actually felt like a relief, because we knew it was not what God wanted for us. We knew that the house would’ve been a money pit and God saved us from a lot of troubles up ahead.
Has a door ever been closed on your plans?
When a door is closed, the first instinct is to be upset and frustrated, wondering what to do next. You can get so stuck on the disappointment that you miss where God is calling you.
The closed door can mean something better!
Around the same time that we were going through the house dilemma, a song from Red Rocks Worship was on repeat in my head:
“Good Plans”
He has good plans
He has good plans for me
So, I will take heart in deserts and gardens.
We ended up taking our house off the market and decided to wait. Clearly, we weren’t supposed to move yet. God had something better!
Romans 8:28 And we know that in ALL THINGS God works for the good who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Things work to the good for those who don’t fight the ups and downs of life, but roll with them, allowing God’s purpose to be greater than their expectations.
If you are in a season right now of trying to figure out what to do – maybe you:
Just graduated,
Need to move,
Trying to meet Mr. Wonderful,
Want to grow your family,
Lost a job,
Empty nester,
Trying to retire
If what you are trying to do on your own seems forced, maybe it’s not supposed to be. Invite God into your planning process- Ask him to lead you!
His plans are always the best plans.
