Complaint #1- So today we held another worship service for our baby church. We sat under two canopies and melted as the heat rose to 99 degrees. I killed a million ants before the service.
Complaint #2- My family is staying at my mom’s house…the house I moved to when I was in 4th grade. I watched Saved by the Bell in this house. My parents spanked me in this house. We’ve been here for over three months, living out of boxes and trying to save for a home. Seriously, we hang all our clothing in BOXES. It’s a little humiliating and out of the way.
Complaint #3- The only homes in the area where we want to live are extremely expensive or so small and dilapidated we would could not imagine living in them. Our realtor had a cockroach fall on her hand at one house!
There was one house in the South San Diego area we looked at recently. It was bad. Seriously, there would be no way to fit all four of us in 850 square feet. As we walked through the small home, with no AC, no dishwasher and barely any room we were frustrated.
That brings me to perspective. (Thanks for sticking it out, got real complain-y up in here)
Blessing #1-
Our church has a place to meet, free of charge that faces our neighbors. It’s a pretty sweet set up in a back yard. We usually have a cool breeze and rarely get up to 99. We have great canopies to cover us from the sun. We also have AC for our kids space, icy bottled water and coffee.
Legit, huh?
As we meet with little to no expense, we can save our money for the day we are larger and will need to pay for a meeting space. What a blessing! God has also blessed us with many great volunteers dedicated to this neighborhood.
Blessing #2-
Our family is staying in what is starting to feel like a mansion, free of charge so we can save. God also has us in the community I grew up in for a reason. We have the ability to love our neighbors well because there is already some relationship to start with and I speak a similar language. My mom has AC and can host all our friends who do not. We are a cool zone for our church and my kiddos see their grandma a ton.
Blessing #3-
We have the ability to look for homes. We have not considered sharing a house with anyone else. Many people in SoCal could not even imagine owning a home without sharing it with several families. As we walked through that tiny home, we noticed something: Each room seemed to contain an entire family. Can I repeat that? Each room contained an entire family. 850 square feet for around 12-16 people. Should I dare shake my fist at God when he has provided beyond what I deserve?
Being a church in the city is not supposed to be easy in our own measure but we continue because we are blessed to be a blessing. Israel lived out of tents for 40 years. Surely we can suck it up and see the good around us in this season. Whatever position you find yourself in today, I pray perspective finds you with open arms. I pray you see the blessings around you. Believer, whatever you walk through today, you have a God who is for you and not against you. I pray He will be your bottled water on a sunny day.