Abandoning my rescue plan

OK, Matt just sent me this great article: Why You Need To Abandon Your Rescue Fantasy (Yes, You Do Have One) (Warning: a couple naughty words, but easily skipped over.)

So I read through it, and I think it kind of slapped me in the face. I know what my "rescue fantasy" is - moving to a new house! "If I just had a bigger house, I'd be satisfied. One with a big enough yard, enough bedrooms for all of us, more than 1 bathroom, a dishwasher, and room to homeschool. Then it would all be better, and I could live comfortably in it the rest of my life." Could I??? For a while, maybe. But I'm sure I'd find something to complain about shortly after moving in.

So as I'm reading this, I'm starting to think, he's right. I need to stop thinking the house is what will make me happy. I am the only one who can make me happy. "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" - Hebrews 13:5. This isn't the first time I have heard the "be content with what you have" line in the last few weeks. Hm, is God trying to tell me something?

OK, so how can I learn to be content where I am? First, I'm going to pray for contentment. Next, I'm going to start counting my blessings. Yup, that's right. I'm actually going to write them down and keep them where I can see them. Then when I start to complain, I can read through them and realize that I am truly blessed. "But godliness with contentment is great gain." - 1 Timothy 6:6

Then, after I've been doing that for a bit, I'm going to make a list of things I can do to make our dreams happen. Sure, God could just throw it in our lap and call it a day. But I think He makes us work for our dreams to teach us life lessons. And sometimes no matter what we do, we won't make it to a dream. God must have better plans for us. And someday we do end up seeing why we couldn't have what we wanted, or why He gave us something different, or whatever. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28. So if we are meant to stay in this house, then OK. If we are meant to move, it will be in His time. We wanted to move before Baby came, but here we are, still here, and Baby Aaron is here, too. God has perfect timing. We don't always know what it is, but we have faith that He knows more than we do and that He will never harm us.

So there is my plan. Pray, count my blessings, and then make a game plan for achieving our dreams and goals. We do still wish God would give us a sign so we know which direction to move, but if He doesn't do that now, He will do it when the time is right. It's tough to wait it out, when all you want is the answer right now, but patience is a virtue, as I've often been told, and I guess learning a little more patience is a good thing.