Tuesday, 19 June 2007

• I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.  I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly. (Ps40:10).
  
  Inspired by my morning reading of Psalm 40, I'd like to share a neat story of God providing an apartment for my fiancee and me and one aspect of our journey in following Jesus.
  
  In early May, my fiancee and I started looking for an apartment for July 1st.  We are both "J's" on the Myers Briggs, so we're the type to want to get those things done and settled early.  For instance, we enjoyed going to Target a few months go to check out wedding invitations.  We found some that seemed nice--certainly "good enough" (my favorite phrase these days)--and just bought them all on the spot.  So in a couple hours, we were done with a process (getting wedding invitations) that usually takes days/weeks.  "Good enough" is an important phrase to me because it helps me counter my perfectionism and being hard on myself when I'm not excellent.
  
  So as we were looking for apartments in early May, we did see one that seemed like a great deal, that was "good enough" and so we were wondering whether just to apply for it and potentially be done with our search!  When praying during that period, however, I felt like God might have said, "Be careful."  I didn't know if that meant--look at this apartment carefully (but we could still take or not take it), or not to take it, or perhaps (most likely) just to weigh this more than wedding invitations, which don't affect us for as long or as much on a day-to-day basis as an apartment does.  Now, along the way, there were many things I struggled with, too--including guilt about having lived in Manila and feeling like I really should be able to happily live anywhere, but let me focus the shorter version how God led us.
  
  My fiancee, while praying during that time, thought God might have said, "Wait one month."  This was one of those things that you're not really sure if it's God or not, but following it doesn't have dire consequences, but does have some risks.  I had noticed that she often hears from God during prayer when we had been praying in groups, which is definitely part of what makes her wonderful!  We talked about this "wait one month" idea a bit and decided to try it.  As for me, I realized this could be another way of "good enough."  At first, "good enough" seemed to be about finding a good enough apartment, signing for it, and being done. 
  
  Now that we'd been nudged towards waiting a month, I could see how maybe May wasn't the best month to be looking since my fiancee and I both had a lot going on in our lives.  Perhaps there were more important things to be focusing on during May.  Looking starting June 1st for a July 1st lease would feel slightly risky, but we knew that there would still be apartments available--apartments that were good enough.  So maybe we weren't going to find that awesome deal that nobody else saw that is close to work and super cheap and newly renovated, with all windows facing south, hardwood floors, gas stove, office space, etc., etc... but that's OK.
  
  Come June 1st, we started looking online.  Monday, June 4th, we saw three apartments, the third of which was good enough.  Over dinner, we looked at some more listings just to make sure that third one was a good price to take.  I called a few people who had phone numbers on craigslist, but no other real leads. 
  
  Then, God did just what my housemate said would happen.  He led us to an apartment that was newly listed that was really great for us!  The landlord called me back Monday night after dinner.  Fifteen minutes later, we were in the newly renovated apartment looking at the gas stove and I was pointing my compass at the 1-2 windows that face south.  The apartment was nicer than the ones we had seen in May and June, by far.  We loved the hardwood floors which were new.  And we gave her a check on the spot for first, last, and security!  The apartment, just like my housemate predicted, was listed on Saturday and we were the first to see it.  So in one night, we were done, with an apartment that wasn't just "good enough" but that we were excited about!
  
  I'm happy that God does lead us when we are in conversation with him.  In this case, he provided a nice apartment.  In all cases, we know that somehow, he is faithful, savior, loving, and full of truth.  Thanks for being a part of the "great assembly" who has received this story of God's goodness.  I hope you find a moment of grace today, too.
  

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