Never say never

I've had many people express amazement - shock, even - that I consented to letting David purchase a house I had never seen. "I would never let my husband by a house without me!" (or "My wife would never let me") is the chorus sung in unison by pretty much everyone we encounter.

There are a few factors that no doubt contributed to my willingness to acquiesce on this. First,in a town of 3,000 people, there is a limited number of homes for sale. Absent a mass exodus, the pickins are slim. Second, after a decade and countless homes looked at together, David and I very much know what the other likes and dislikes. He truly wanted me to be happy here and to love our new home, so I was able to trust that he considered my preferences (which are usually pretty in line with his) when selecting a house for me. What a blessing to be able to trust someone's love that way.

Neither of those factors, however, was the predominant reason for my being able to let David make this choice for us. Here's what did it: God gave me the grace I needed when I needed it.

If you had asked me a year ago whether I would ever let David buy a house I had never seen, I would have agreed with the masses and declared a resounding no. Of course, three years ago that was also the answer to whether I would ever live in small-town-in-the-mountains, Pennsylvania. No way, no how. It wasn't just that I was unwilling; I was completely unable. I could not even talk about Pennsylvania without crying and sometimes even hyperventilating. There was no. way. I could leave my family and all the comforts of a city and follow my husband into the mountains. Sorry, God, you'll have to think of something else.

Of course, God wasn't calling me to come here then.

What I've learned is that there is never a reason to fear what God may ask us to do. When God told me to come to Pennsylvania, He also changed my heart so that I wanted to come. He took away my fear. When God wanted me to let David buy a house without me, He gave me the peace I needed to say yes.

I am learning that what my dad told me when I was a kid is true: The will of God will never lead you where the Grace of God cannot sustain you.

With His calling comes His grace.

Paul spoke of this several times in his letters: "Faithful is He that called you who also will do it." (I Thes. 5:24) "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to carry it to completion . . ." (Phil. 1:6)

The One who calls me to do something WILL equip me to do it. We need not spend our lives worrying that God may call us to some unimagineable service, be it moving to Africa, letting go of our possessions, losing our health, losing a child . . . whatever that thing is that we fear most and pray "God, please, ask of me anything but that."

If God asks it of you, He will do it in you. Maybe not a moment sooner than He asks it, but rest assured, He will complete His work in you. And it will be good.