Train potty

Sometimes life can be so unfair.

Last week, we had a fantastic plan. We have been looking to buy land in the beautiful Texas hill country, and as I mentioned previously, we had been searching for a long time! I happened upon a property that seemed to have potential, so I drove an hour North with the kids on Tuesday to check it out. Immediately, I fell in love with that gorgeous piece of land. It was 12 acres of near perfection, almost everything we had wanted in a land purchase! (It was a bit more expensive than we had hoped but still within reach.) Driving home on Tuesday afternoon, I was so excited for Johnny to view the property too. Obviously, he wouldn't be able to come see it until Saturday, because he works during the daytime,

but we planned it all out with the Realtor. We had our appointment set for Saturday, and we were encouraged to have our our financial papers ready to go by that time. Everything worked out financially, and on Friday morning I called our Realtor to let her know that we were ready for action on Saturday.

She called me back an hour later.

With bad news.

Someone else made an offer Friday morning, and the owner had accepted their offer.

We were a few hours too late.

At first I was sad, and then I was frustrated, and then I was melancholy. Why did this happen? We had done everything right! Things should have worked out! I felt like grieving a loss that had really only been a part of my life for 4 days,

yet it really, really hurt that our hopes were shattered so quickly.

Luckily, I have a wonderful mother. I called her in tears after I got the news, and she wisely gave me advice that ceased my tears. She reminded me that if God absolutely wanted us in that exact spot, then we would be there. If we were meant to own that 12 acres, this other offer would fall through. But if not, then God had other plans, and we needed to trust Him.

"I know Mom, but it still hurts," I responded. 

To which she said, "Go pray. He is the one who can comfort your heart and give you peace about what you need to do."

Oh, how I love my momma! She listened to me, she empathized with me, and she reminded me that eventually everything would work out to our family's benefit. This property had seemed perfect, but we would find something else. I followed my mom's advice and took some time to pray. The next morning, I had another prayerful conversation in which I explained all my feelings to God about our goals, hopes, and dreams. Finally, after opening my wounded heart to Him, I felt some peace. 

Saturday morning, I felt like we should drive to that small town anyways. My heart was calm, but I wanted to show Johnny that property and that town anyways. I figured that together we could decide if we really wanted to buy land in that part of Texas. Johnny agreed, so we loaded up the kids and made the hour drive North. Yea for family road trips!

And you know what? We stumbled across another beautiful piece of land, just a mile up the road from that first piece of property. This second property was a little bit smaller, only 10 acres, but it was considerably less expensive. This second property also had big beautiful trees and pastures. Additionally, it had a small creek. Exploring this second property was exciting, and Johnny and I both wondered if it was meant for us.

Maybe this was the land we needed to find?

As we talked and talked and talked over the weekend, it seemed as if this second property better suited all our goals. We wondered if this was an answer to our prayers for comfort and direction. This one felt right.

Tomorrow we are calling the Realtor to make an offer.

Hopefully it works out in our favor (and someone didn't snatch it up in the last 24 hours). "But if not," then I know that God is watching over me and my family. He will help us reach our goals, and as long as we trust Him and follow His directions, we will find that fulfillment and joy we are seeking.