A recent lesson learned

About a week ago, our superintendent pulled our staff into a brief stand up meeting to announce to us recent news about the sale of our office building. Our building has been for sale ever since I started working here and so I knew they were anxious to get it sold. We have one full price offer but with a contingency that their building sells first. This was the second offer. The building is for sale for $595,000. He proceeds to tell us that he had a lady offer him $425,000. He talked with the other executives about it and they said go ahead and start the bidding back and forth. Right before he was about to make the phone call, there wasn't a peace in his heart, so he declined the offer completely and said we were going to stay at our asking price, despite the thoughts of our realtor. The lady comes back and offers $525. Again, he declines and is trusting God that we will get full price for the building. The lady comes back again offering $595...full price. Done.

When I heard that it was a really cool story but it wasn't until later this week that God used that to really teach me a lesson. If Pastor Terry would have gone forward with the bidding and listened only to the advice of the realtor and the executives, but didn't listen to what God was saying, we would still probably have sold the building, but have gotten much less for it than what we desired. He heard God's voice and listened and obeyed and because of that, there was a blessing on the other side. I know that he has prayed about the sale of our building for a long time as well as our staff praying for it. When the decision finally had to be made, God spoke and Pastor Terry obeyed.

There's a situation in my life right now where I think I was in a similar situation. One thing was ending and I had a decision to make about what to do next. Now, I feel like I have a good relationship with God. Yes, I have much to work on and so much further to go, but I actively seek God out and am in the Word on a consistent basis and pray often. I guess I've had the mindset that if I am doing those things, when it comes time to make decisions, I can pray about it and just go with what decision I feel is right. I suppose this is where I have been mislead in my thoughts. I don't pray enough about the specific decisions. I just continue to seek God the way I have been and trust that my decision will be in His will because I have been seeking Him. If Pastor Terry hadn't have been praying so hard about this decision, he could have easily thought, this lady is wanting to buy our building, it must be from God, we're in a recession so I have to accept what is offered. But he didn't. He sought out God's voice and even though it seemed crazy, he listened and obeyed. This particular situation I'm thinking of in my life, I feel like I did the opposite. One thing ended and another thing came up just at the right time and so I just assumed it was from God so I went with it, without much prayer or thought. I'm now realizing that there might have been something better out there for me and I missed it because I didn't seek God in the way that He wanted me to.

So now what?? That's the question I've been pondering this week as I think about what this means for my life. Am I not in God's will with this area?? I don't know. I guess I've come to the conclusion that I made my decision, and even though it might not have been the best one that God had for me, my decision has been made and there's nothing I can do about it now. Now, it's all about my attitude in dealing with it and being content.

So overall, the lesson I learned was a big one that I will definitely be applying in the future. For any decision I have to make, I need to make sure I am asked God what HE desires...not just trusting that my consistent quiet times will give me an easy in to what my decision needs to be. Ever since I've gotten married, God's been using Pete to show me how I need to hear God's voice more and seek Him out through prayer more. I'm thankful for where God has me and am going to change because of what He's doing in my life today. Thank you Jesus!!