Abundant Blessings

Mary C. Neal, M.D. says in her book To Heaven and Back: “When you are doing God’s will, everything seems to happen without much effort or many obstacles.”

This quote didn’t sit well with me when I first read it, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. 

I wonder if Abraham would agree? 
Or Joseph? 
Or David? 

It just seems too neat, too tidy, and a tad over simplistic. 

But then there are people who would probably agree.  Take my buddy, Nehemiah, for example.  Did you know it only took him 52 days to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem?

52 days.

Unbelievable.

Earlier this year, I felt God’s leading to sell my townhouse.  This was not good news because the main reason I had called my cozy little place home for 10 years was less because I liked it and more because I was terrified of the buying and selling process. Yet, 4 weeks after I put my townhouse on the market, I had an offer in my hand to purchase it for cash!

4 weeks!

Astounded (and a little freaked out), I frantically started the search for a new house. Would you believe that four days later I found the perfect one?

4 days!

And when I say perfect. I mean PERFECT! It had everything on my wish list and then some. And look how cute it is!

Of course, that’s not to say there weren’t obstacles.  Obstacles like…

• The price for the house needed to be a tad-bit lower.
• I needed the super awesome refrigerator to stay because I sold mine with the townhouse.
• My A/C unit in the townhouse decided to call in sick on inspection day even though it had no problem working the 3,649 days before.
• And I needed a relatively large sum of cash for closing costs.

So, I prayed.
My accountability group prayed.
My Sunday School class to prayed.

And one-by-one God knocked down every single obstacle with little effort from me and minimal impact to my pocketbook.

And He didn’t stop there.

He sent some divine connections. Divine connections like…

• Mrs. Morris (the owner) grew up with a lady in my Sunday School class.
• My lender taught Sunday School to their son when he was little.
• That same son actually lived three townhouses down from me.
• One co-worker – who just happens to grow pretty awesome roses – lives right around the corner.
• And another co-worker is BFFs with my next door neighbor.

Weird. Right?

But God was just getting started.

Blessings came in the form of the Morrises who should definitely win an award for Best All-Around Sellers. Check it out.

• Despite the doubts of my realtor, they kindly agreed to leave the aforementioned refrigerator, and while love seems like a strong word to describe my feelings toward an inanimate object, I do like it a whole lot!  
• They took exceptional care of the house. I mean, I don’t have one single project on my “to do” list. It’s that awesome.
• They invited me to a party a couple of weeks before closing so I could meet the neighbors.  (And Yes!  You read that right!)
• They made sure I knew how to turn off the gas, work the fireplace, and turn off the water at the street.
• They gave me tips and tricks on adjusting the thermostat, setting up the dog house, and working the dishwasher.
• They even checked in on me after a big storm the first night I was in the house.
• They not only gave – but installed – the old cord from their dryer after the move so I wouldn’t have to buy one. 
• And…they did some majorly awesome work in the backyard. It is simply spectacular. My prayer is that Holy Spirit will impart upon me a serious green thumb so I can keep it this way.

Y’all! There was not one detail God didn’t work out! Not one obstacle He didn’t fix!

Blessing upon blessing was poured out on me.

My prayer at the beginning was for God to be glorified somehow through the buying/selling process. So, I giggled and clapped for Him as I watched co-workers, friends, and realtors stand amazed at His handiwork. No one could deny that I had the best house-buying experience on the planet.

Ever.

So, maybe – in some instances – Dr. Neal’s statement is true. Maybe – when God’s timing is right – things fall into place “without much effort and many obstacles.” Afterall, “much effort” doesn’t mean no effort, and “without…many obstacles” doesn’t mean no obstacles.

I don’t know the answer. 

But I do know this: 

Despite a tough housing market, it only took God 80 days to sell my house and give me a beautiful home. 

80 days! 

I know that, for now, God has chosen me to take care of this house, and I consider it a priviledge. 

I know that sometimes, God wants us to remember that He is the same God who rebuilt a wall in 52 days. 

He is the same God that does – in fact – give us immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). 

And He is the same God who is worthy of all praise (Psalm 96:4)!