Kenton and I have been praying to root ourselves in one spot for a long, long time. Years of renting homes and moving around a lot has led us to value and desire the idea of staying in one place for a long, long time. We think it’s wise and we think it’s good. When this opportunity in Dripping Springs came up, we were just laughing at how God had given us a clear answer to this desire. But something else we’ve (especially myself) wanted and prayed for for a long time is a house to own and stay in for many years. If you move around a lot like we do, you know it’s tough. I’m amazed at all you military and coaching families who move so frequently! Y’all are so strong. But like I said, our past years have led us to have vision for our future years, and that vision is to buy a home that suits us and then stay there for a long time!

Well, the search for that home has been challenging, as I’m sure so many of you can relate to, right? It’s just stressful! Hip flexor has never been tighter 😂Well anyway, due to the challenge it’s been to find what we’re looking for, we’ve found ourselves questioning whether or not our vision to stay put in one spot is really what God has for us right now. Aside – isn’t it funny how resistance can make you question your conviction? You face a little opposition and start to think that maybe you had it all wrong. My small group is going through Acts and I found myself awed by the faith of the early believers. When they faced severe opposition by the powers at be who were telling they better shut up about this Jesus guy they kept preaching about, they didn’t take that as a sign to stop or something to make them slow down. Instead, they just prayed for courage. They didn’t doubt that they had heard God wrong on how to go about evangelizing in Jesus name, they simply prayed for courage to hold onto that call they heard from Him originally. That really speaks to me!

Anyway, aside over. So, as I was saying, the house hunt has been a challenge. And for years we’ve been praying for 1) home and, 2) to be rooted somewhere. I’ll be honest and say my time with God lately has felt a little shallow. I sit down in the mornings, open my bible, and find myself just staring out the window. I think my heart is just tired and it tends to carry stuff it shouldn’t. But this morning I finally sank into God’s presence this morning and really asked him to just put us where he wants us. I opened to Ephesians 3 and read verses 16-18 and felt God smiling at me. Here’s what it says:

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

Can you guess which words stuck out to me? It’s difficult to relay the sweet specificity in which the Spirit is able to make a bible verse speak so directly to a questioning heart, but I read this and knew instantly that God was saying that my home is in Jesus. He is my forever shelter. And he actually makes his home in me! And those roots I’ve been praying for? No amount of years in a permanent housing situation can match the sustainability and stability I’ll have if my roots grow deep and strong into God’s love. What does this mean about what we’re actually supposed to do for housing? Ya, I still don’t know. I think I have a little more vision, but that wasn’t the point. The point is I have peace today. But not only that, but as I kept reading a little further, I received hope, too:

Now all glory to God who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Eph. 3:20)

God is able to do infinitely more than I can ask or imagine. That includes now, in my waiting. That includes now, in your waiting, too. He’s up to something. I really think it all leads back to his love, and him wanting us to deeply, fully, wholly, know is love. Go read verses 18 & 19 if you’d like to find out why.

So that’s where we are in the process! We’re in between our “was” and our “going to be.” And it’s here in this tension that we’ll keep waiting for God to provide first by using all of this to lead us closer to Him, and second by putting us in the exact right home!