Of course that title assumes that there is a "perfect" place to live! I think one of my biggest struggles is longing for that perfect place to live. For me that would consist of:
- at least 10 acres - ideally 20 - even better 40 or more!
- part woods, part field, possibly some rolling hills for a walk-out house or a sledding hill (of course a mound septic system can also become your sledding hill
 !
- Away from road noise - maybe somewhat isolated, though neighbors can be nice to have too if they're the right ones!
- Some kind of water on the property - a spring, a creek, a river, a pond (preferrably more than a puddle!), a lake...
- a climbing tree
BUT are we called to try to find our piece of "heaven" on earth? That's my question I'm wrestling with a bit. God never said we were supposed to make a "perfect spot" for ourselves here. Last summer the place we rented was not quite perfect according to those standards, but it was pretty incredible! We had a lake that we could canoe and fish on, a beach where we could go swimming and play in the little bit of sand, some woods (though they weren't very accessible), lots of beautiful fields, 105 acres!, private drive so others couldn't see your house! Several times while I was there, I wondered about living in a "wonderful" place. Was I content there? Was it all I wanted it to be?
One other reason I loved living there was I met a wonderful Christian friend down the road who plans to homeschool and is very like-minded! What a blessing that was! We also had an older couple who watched over the place who weren't Christians that we tried to minister to and witness to. We raked leaves for them, brought over homemade applesauce and enjoyed chats outside with them. Since moving, I may miss the land there some, but I miss the relationships more!
So now, we're looking to move again soon, as the house we're in will go back on the market and I really want to live closer to my husband's mom. Plus we just found a wonderful church there! The pastor and his wife homeschool and have 2 kids similar ages to my older 2. We had a WONDERFUL visit with them after church at their church potluck and really hit it off with them. They live in a small town about 20 min. from my husband's mom. The town has about 90 people. I was looking at listings yesterday and saw that there are 2 incredibly cheap houses in town there. One is on 1/2 acre and the other is on 3/4 acres. We could buy them with no mortgage and still have plenty of $ in the bank. Both of them seem large enough for our family. Then we could continue to look for land and buy if we found the right land at the right price. We could build as we got $ and then sell our house in town (hopefully).
So, do I put my dreams on hold and look at buying "in town" (if you call 90 people a town)? It would be nice to have a place of my own and be able to garden and possibly have chickens (if they allow it). There are several nice parks I hear in town as well as a river that comes close to the town where my son could go fishing easily (from what I can tell on the map). Maybe there is someone living in this town who needs our witness. Of course it would be really nice to live close to our pastor and his family - to have a friend down the road!
Hopefully we'll go see these places soon and think and pray about it. In looking to move to the country, I prayed several times about whether the Lord wanted us out away from lots of people in the city. I have always told the Lord that if he wanted me to move to the inner city, I would. As much as I have my desires for a "perfect" spot, more importantly I want to be wherever the Lord wants us to be. He has the best plans for us! |
• Wed 21 Feb 2007 - Untitled Comment
Blessings,