Stop, and Let Me Tell You...

There's a chorus that's been spinning through my mind this week. I can't quite remember the tune. I have no idea where and when I first heard this. I'm confident that it was way back in my childhood. The true lyrics are:
Stop; and let me tell you what the Lord has done for me.
Stop; and let me tell you what the Lord has done for me.
He forgave my sin
And He saved my soul,
He cleansed my heart
And He made me whole.
Stop; and let me tell you what the Lord has done for me.

If I tried to tell you what the Lord has done for me in my lifetime, it would take days, weeks, months; well I'm not sure I could cover it in a lifetime. But today I want to focus on what the Lord has done for me recently.

I'm sure I've written about what has happened to us the past few years, but I'm too lazy to go and find those past posts. So I'll give a brief synopsis. (ok, not so brief!)

In the fall of 2007, the appraisal business started to slack off. Dramatically. For the first few months we assured ourselves that "things will get better". Soon we had to face reality. Things were getting worse. Much worse. Dan started applying for second jobs and in January 2008 he was hired part-time by Sam's Club.

By Spring of 2008, Dan's income had dropped by 90%. We literally had no money at all most of the time. The money he did make was used for keeping the utilities on and buying gas for the car so he could get to his PT Sam's Club job. That job became our lifeline.

Stop; and let me tell you what the Lord has done for me.

During that time, God provided for us in ways I could not have even imagined. We received gift cards to buy groceries in the mail. We came home one day to find a $100 bill stuck in our front door. People paid our electric bill. Our water bill. Almost all of it anonymous. Every cent of it a gift. Let me tell you, I learned true humility during that rough time. But through it all, every single day, every single hour, sometimes every 15 minutes, we would tell each other "things will get better".

They continued to get worse. Have you ever had an experience where you thought you struck bottom, just to discover that bottom is really still a lot farther down? That was us.

We tried desperately to save our home. We put it on the market as a short sale. We contacted every agency we could find to help us save our home. We failed. It was auctioned out from under us in February 2009. One of the agency's asked "what's your Plan B if you lose your house?" Our Plan B was to live in our cars.

Stop; and let me tell you what the Lord has done for me.

After the auction we had three days to vacate our home and find somewhere to live. We found a small rental in Surprise and moved in with hours to spare on the vacate order. We thanked God every day, every hour, sometimes every 15 minutes for providing a roof over our head that we could afford.

Dan's part-time job increased to full-time. Appraisals were still dried up. During 2009, 2010, we sometimes went months without a single appraisal order. Still we told ourselves "Things are going to get better". They did.

Late 2010 the appraisals started picking up. They continued to increase during 2011, 2012. In March of 2012, Dan quit Sam's Club to concentrate on appraisals again. We were worried. But we knew God was providing, and we wanted to be available for His provision. In October 2012, Dan was hired as a staff appraiser by a company out of Delaware. This job provides full benefits, 401K, the works. Plus, he's able to still do appraisals on the side for other companies.

Things had gotten better.

This morning at 8:30 am, we signed the papers to buy a house. I do not have the words to explain to you how we feel. We are ecstatic. We are scared. We bear the scars of what we went through in 2009. We also have the wisdom gained by what we went through in 2009.

Stop; and let me tell you what the Lord has done for me. What he has done for me in my situation, He can do for you in yours. Whether it's finances, health, family, addictions, relationships, jobs, whatever struggle you face; God is there for you. Things will get better. I can guarantee that 100%. They may not get better in your time frame. Better may not look like what you expect it to. But God's better is perfect.

For those of you that are our personal friends and family; thank you. Your prayers have sustained us all these years. Your financial support and love literally saved us in 2008/2009. The acts of kindness performed for us are permanently sketched on our hearts.

So now a new chapter begins. And it's all because of what the Lord has done for me.

I