Month: September 2015

When I moved to Charleston, South Carolina five years ago I visited a friend who lived in a duplex. I was impressed with the subdivision, so I told God I wanted to move there once I got settled in my new city.  He had other plans and I moved into a mobile home park instead. Although I had never lived in a mobile home, I was new to Charleston, so I did not hesitate to take it. God blessed me in that home for three and a half years.

Now fast forward to February, 2015. I was beginning to get a little antsy with my neighborhood and posted on Facebook that I was looking to rent a house. A wonderful realtor, who was promoting her business, responded to my post by suggesting that I consider home ownership instead. Within two days after meeting with her I was approved for a mortgage loan. I had the best realtor in Charleston, SC, and was getting close to finding something, when I decided to change jobs. My job was in the same field, but my status changed to independent contractor.  This change meant I was now self-employed and need a years’ income to re-qualify for the mortgage. But all was not lost! There was something inside of me that let me know that I could have, and deserved better. Before I met my realtor I had convinced myself that I would be stuck in that trailer court, because I would never be able  to afford anything better. But once God showed me that I could afford more, I thought, why not trust Him to give me more. As time went on I even attended home buying classes and looked into my new options as an independent contractor. However, shortly after my classes ended, I had a wake-up call.  All of Charleston, SC was shocked by The Emanuel Nine murder case (the nine church members who were killed at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church). That’s when I realized that I did not want to own a home, because my immediate family does not live in South Carolina. But what I really wanted all along was a better neighborhood, with a better landlord, and better parking.

Because I kept in touch with that friend who lived in the duplex, I called her one day and asked if she knew of any vacancies in her neighborhood. She responded, “Yes, matter of fact, there are three coming available very soon.” Now fast forward to September 10, 2015, the day I received the keys to my new rental property. A gorgeous duplex with upgraded appliances, a wonderful landlord, and plenty of parking.

 

We all go out to eat. We sit down and order an appetizer and a main course. The problem is we get full on the appetizer, and then can’t handle the meal. Life can be like that. We stop short of God’s complete blessing, and get complacent with the here and now. We get comfortable with the way things are. When asked “How are things going?” we respond with statements like, “Same old same old”, or “another day another dollar.” We need to learn how to indulge in the full course of life. Don’t stop at the appetizer. You can eat some of it and save the rest for later. The main course is the essence of the meal. The appetizer is a small dish of food or drink taken before a meal or the main course of a meal to stimulate one’s appetite.

We are a visual people, however certain things will only be revealed after you have given up something else. Unfortunately we want to keep everything we have and add more to it. God does not work like that. Sometimes He has to strip you of everything in order to get you to the right thing. But we keep holding on and eating what was first presented to us. We look over at the entrée and think, “I can save that for later.”  But once you take the food off that pretty plate in the restaurant, you can never recreate the ambience of the first presentation. So don’t allow God’s blessings to get cold and be reheated because you were greedy during the initial phase of the meal. Don’t get full on the appetizer! God’s main course is so much better.