Sweet Home Arkansas

It is official - after more than 4 years of waiting - Tyrone and I are homeowners again. There was no buyer's remorse yesterday as we signed the paperwork and received the keys to our new house. We believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that God chose this house for us before we ever looked at a map to see how far away Fayetteville, AR would be. It is only a matter of days before we move in and start making it a home.

I really like the movie "Sweet Home Alabama" with Reese Whitherspoon, Patrick Dempsey, and Josh Lucas. I recall a smaller part played by Bob Penny who was "Mr. Buford" the divorce lawyer . He had something so important to share with "Miss Carmichael", but no one would allow him to get near her. They lied to him, threw him out, and man handled him. He was relentless in his effort and finally broke through the resistance just moments before she said her vows to the "wrong guy" to let her know she was still married to her first husband and true love Jake(if I can use a fairy tale term).

I couldn't help but reflect back over the past 4 years in preparation for the closing yesterday a be completely overwhelmed by God's relentlessness in keeping us out of all the wrong houses so we could find the right one. We could have forced the issue or settled so many times which would have caused us to miss out on this house. I remember being so frustrated and angry especially with the last attempt to buy a house here in the spring. I remember praying in those moments too, however, and being completely real with God. He can handle my emotions even if I am out of control. He gave me ultimate peace through it all that we would find the house he had for us.

Just like the little lawyer guy in the movie we can so easily push God away when we are focused on doing what we want to do. What we believe is the right choice or what we think will make us happy. He gets through to us when we finally stop and listen to what he has to say. I am so thankful that Tyrone was level-headed through my emotional roller coaster so that we could hear God's voice and discern his plan for the right roof over our heads.

Tyrone wants to hang a plaque in our house with Joshua 25:15 on it. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." A most popular verse in many households around the world. Interestingly though, I think the first part of the verse belongs on the plaque too. It reads, "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land your are living." A strong reminder of all the things I choose to serve each day that fall short of the masterpiece God is creating for me.