Faith Without Works

Faith without works is DEAD.  That’s not just a catchy opening line.  It has proven time and time again to be true in my life.  Buying my home tested my faith to the core.

Being a homeowner was just one of my billion dreams.  I kept putting it off because I wanted to make sure that my credit was superb.  I’m a shopper’s shopper, so I indulged in browsing homes online and in the free real estate magazines around town.  I felt I wasn’t ready financially, but I wanted to at least know what was available.

I saw the cutest little town home one day while I was online shopping.  And I did something so peculiar.  I picked up the phone and called the realtor.  I wanted to see this condo in person.  I had no intention of buying.  I wasn’t ready.  I just wanted to walk through and get a feel for home shopping.

Bible Study Brother tagged along.  I’m sure the realtor thought that we were a couple. (Most folks do when we’re out in public…yuck!)  We weighed the pros and cons as we walked through the place.  It was almost right but then not quite right.

When I returned home, I did an even stranger thing.  I called a mortgage broker and had him to assess what I needed to do to be ready to buy a home.  I wanted to plan and save.  I couldn’t know what I needed if I didn’t ask.  Guess what?  He ran the numbers and told me that I was already in position to be a homeowner.

Bible Study Cousin put me in touch with an awesome realtor, and I was off to the races.  To be perfectly honest, I assumed that the homebuying process was going to be long.  Since I am a shopper, I assumed that it would take me a while to get just the right space.

I saw the cute little town home in November, and by the middle of December, I was getting ready to close on an even cuter home.  That is….until that deal fell through.  It was the PERFECT house for me.  Sure, the master bedroom was tiny.  And all the closets were small, but it was perfect!  I was devastated.  I was convinced that home ownership wasn’t in my cards.

Then my realtor called me in January.  He was searching and ran across a home that he thought would be a great fit.  The interior was not up to par, but it had sound bones.  He called it “cute.”  Bible Study Brother was not thrilled to enter the house, but I saw what the realtor meant.  I could make my mark on this home.  It didn’t necessarily look like me, but it had a sound foundation and solid walls.  The rest was just dressing.

I closed on my home on February 29, 2016.  I’d be lying if I said it was a breeze.  It wasn’t.  I remember crying in the sensory closet at work in frustration.  No one else had such a hard home buying story.  My mom would often say that she hadn’t ever experienced anything like it.

But on the other side of the pressure is a beautiful home.  It’s hard to believe that Bible Study Brother used to avoid coming into my unfinished home.  Now, it’s hard to get him to leave.  Sometimes, I truly forget how much progress has been made with my home until someone brings it up.

I had to act to get to this point.  ALL my faith with no works would have resulted in me remaining at my mom’s house online shopping or flipping through magazines.  God definitely pushed me.  And I didn’t die from the pushing.  I fell down.  Scraped my knees.  Cried in closets.  Dusted myself off.  Walked a little further.  Eventually, I made it to the place that God had just for me.  Activate your faith.  #wepreach