Learning To Embrace The In Between. A True Story.

Do you ever feel discouraged? I am going through a time where I would rather some aspects of my life be different than they are at the moment. We have been looking to purchase our first home for a few months now. We have almost purchased two houses over the weeks, but both of them turned out to have building issues, and fell through.

Photo credit: TheeErin via photopin cc

Having to move out of our home because our landlords needed to move back in, we had no choice but to rent (yet again) while we continue searching for a house to buy.

Needless to say, we didn’t plan things to go this way, and were trying to avoid having to rent again. But I can’t deny that the Lord led us on this route. He had umpteen opportunities to lead us down a different path.

However, not liking the situation very much, I decided to stubbornly dig in my heals, declaring to my family that we wouldn’t unpack but would live out of our boxes till we found a house! You see, my plan was that this time would be super temporary (like over before it even begun). There was going to be none of this wandering in the desert for forty years business, as perpetual nomads (even though I am Israeli).

Do you feel discouraged when things don’t go your way, or the way you would have planned them (say, if you were God!)? Well, my friend, we have a lot in common.

Jeff Goins recently published a book simply on the subject of waiting. When I first heard about it, I wondered how anyone could fill a 200 page book with “waiting” However, it is well worth the read, and even by reading the description and reviews, you’ll get excited that maybe there is indeed a purpose to this “in between” stage.

Learning To Embrace The In Between. A True Story.

So, a couple of days into our current home, my children were unsettled (ie. bored, fighting, and rebellious). I decided to take the bull by the horns, and with God’s help, mustered up the strength, creativity, and enthusiasm to make the most of this time. Over the course of the next few days, we:

Tried our hand at Origami (a lot harder than it looks on the youtube videos)
Started loom knitting (can’t remember enjoying any craft as much!)
Spent hours with the children at the local library, reading, exploring, and learning.
Encouraged my children to prepare some meals.
Prayed a lot more than I had been.
And…unpacked! This living out of boxes for an unknown space of time thing was just not going to work. We needed to feel more comfortable, less temporary, and change underwear! 🙂

Basically, the Lord has begun to change my discouraged heart.

The Verse That is Turning My Heart Around

As I have dwelt on Psalm 73:25, my heart has been pierced, convicted, and reminded that God Himself is sufficient for me:

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

God truly should be the only One that you need, crave, and hunger for <– Click to Tweet. If God’s Word says it, it must be true. To the psalmist there was no earthly possession, relationship, or material attraction that he desired besides God! The Lord was completely sufficient to him, and nothing or no-one could compare to the King of Kings, enthroned on high in the heavens. Is that how you feel about God?

I don’t know how long it will be before we find a house we love. But I am learning to look for God’s purpose behind it all. To trust that we are right where He wants us at this very point in history (and so are you!). To savour the bond that is growing in our family simply by being-in-it-together. And being thankful for the many countless blessings of the ‘in between.’

Are you waiting for something to happen? What has the Lord laid on your heart to encourage you during this time? Would love to hear… <3