Turning in the Keys

Where do I begin? It has been a whirlwind month!

With our one-year lease up July 1, Cristina and I had been thinking about whether we should sign on for another year or look for a new place. We visited a few houses for rent but nothing was worth moving from our apartment which we both really loved. But then, one month ago, we got word through my brother that his complex had an opening for a 1-bedroom apartment. Our name had been on the waiting list for a 2-bedroom since last summer. And a few months ago they called us with a vacancy, but we were still in our lease, so we couldn’t accept. So we put our name at the bottom of the list. But now this 1-bedroom opened up. We had to move on it right away. So we thought about it and prayed about it.

The night before we had to decide, I went for a walk and went through the 5 ways of making a good decision that we had talked about at Fuel last year. Was it God honoring? Well, it meant fewer, or smaller, gatherings for The Journey. But it also meant more money with which to be more generous than we could be before. Was it Spirit-led? This was not the product of our own effort. It was totally a God-thing. We had gone asking, seeking and knocking. But God presented this door in His perfect timing, without us even seeking it out. Was it wise? By moving into this smaller but quite comfortable apartment, we would be saving $500 every month; that’s $6,000 a year! That meant we could be debt-free sooner, build up a more substantial savings for unexpected expenses, have the money to make future necessary purchases like new cars, and invest more for the future, all making us better prepared for any possible future additions to our family. Was it well-advised? Having such little time, I decided I only had time to seek Cristina’s advice (and not also the usual list of trusted friends). And in her separate personal considerations, she thought it would be a good move. So, lastly, with everything pointing toward moving, and being in agreement, we mustered up the courage to call and accept the offer to move in.

We started moving in on the 21st, packing and moving about one room at a time. Then we had all the big stuff out by the 28th. Yesterday, we finally got the last of our stuff and cleaned up the place. Today, I turn in the keys to our old place.

It’s amazing how God has blessed us. He hasn’t given us more pay. But He has given us more money. By leading us to this new apartment, it’s like we got a $500/month raise! God is good!

And we will be busy for about another month as we try to unpack 1,600 square feet of stuff into 950 square feet of space. I have two words for you: yard sale.