Moving On

I'm thinking Scott needs his own blog. He enjoys posting way too much. No, wait...maybe it's a good thing that he keeps posting. Seems lately I don't have a spare moment to write. Plus, he's always got something good to say!



Over the past 3-4 months, we’ve been talking about moving.  As our four girls grow our home has felt a little snug, and you may have heard that we’re in the process of adopting.  So we thought it might make sense to get into another home to accommodate our growing family.  And given the fact that interest rates are at all time lows and home prices are severely depressed, it would probably make sense to buy now, right?
 
After some serious prayer, fasting and long discussions we reached the completely opposite conclusion.  Rather than move into another home as our family grows (and incur some more debt along the way), we’ve decided to stay put (and dramatically reduce our debt along the way).
 
Here’s how it went down.
 
A home we’ve had our eye on for nearly two years dramatically came down in price.  By like 50%.  It got to a point where we had to seriously consider doing something.  So we sprang into action.  Call the bankers, check.  Gather funds, check.  Re-run the budget, check.  All set.  
 
Not so fast.  We need to pray and seek Godly counsel.  So often we proceed with our plans and ask God to bless them rather than seeking His will first.  As we did, God spoke to both of us – with a megaphone!  
 
God calls all of us in different ways.  Resources can be allocated in a variety of ways to serve in the Kingdom.  We felt a deep conviction that God is calling us to be free.  By that we mean, totally free of debt so that we are fully available to serve Him in any way He wants.  
 
As we considered our move, we realized we would be less free.  We would be tied to the figurative chains of a larger mortgage, a bigger home, and more stuff making us less available to go somewhere to serve or to give more.  The thought of not being able to go to Uganda as often, or not being able to give more to friends and family in need was simply not palatable to us.
 
The question we kept asking ourselves was which scenario would draw us closer to Christ? Which alternative would deepen our relationship with Him and help us model humility and sacrificial giving to our children? For us, the answer was clear.  The move felt more like a distraction from what Christ was calling us to.
 
By staying put and paying down our debt, we hope to free ourselves for service and greater giving.  We want to say (sincerely), “Here we are, send us!”  And we feel like He has big plans in store.
 
So here’s where we ended up.  We’re staying put and over the next 3 years we hope to pay off ALL our debt.  That’s right – debt free in 3 years. Can we pay off all our debt in 3 years?  No way.  Apart from a miraculous move by God, I can’t fathom any possible way to do that.  But that’s the beauty of it.  Only God gets the glory.  And by the way, the adoption is still on.
 
Some have said this is silly.  Specifically, someone recently told me we don’t HAVE to do all this.  It’s not necessary and it’s kind of crazy.  But if after prayer and fasting we feel God calling us to this, then what kind of servants would we be if we disobeyed.  Why seek His will in the first place.
 
So we’re moving on… sort of.  Hopefully moving past some of the trappings of this world and more in line with His will and His specific plan for our lives.  We can’t wait to watch it unfold.