If you think a lot happened in my recap post of what brought me to Texas, wait until I tell you about the first year in my house. These last 12 months have been some of the most challenging, rewarding, and significantly life-changing months I've ever experienced. As I reflected on the year, God revealed three things I want to share with you.
GET THE COUCH
A huge desire of my heart for over a decade was to own a couch from Restoration Hardware. I remember the first time I walked into an RH store and saw the enormous white sofa sitting front and center on display. I sat down, realized it was the most comfortable couch I had ever sat on, and decided I wanted it. I've been a fan of the RH aesthetic for years and knew I wanted my home to be full of it one day. I know, I know, I know. How superficial! But, hear me out, okay?
When I left my Cincinnati home, I got rid of all my furniture, except an armoire I inherited from my mom. Since 2020 I had wanted (and low-key needed) new furniture, but I knew I would be moving and wanted to wait until then to get anything. Enter in a call from God and a 1000-mile adventure, and I had the perfect opportunity to live out my Restoration Hardware dreams. Of course, I was interested in a couch from Restoration now that I had an excuse to entertain the idea, but I had A LOT of hesitation. If you know, you know. Nothing from RH is cheap, not even a throw blanket. So, naturally, I talked myself into every couch on the market except one from Restoration.
I had purchased a couch from a chain store online before leaving Cincinnati. Once I got to Texas and decided to switch from an apartment to a house, I realized it would be too large for my new home. I flirted with the idea of RH again but couldn't bring myself to do it. After all, it was so much money! I spent weeks scouring furniture stores in person and online. Everyone was experiencing "issues with the global supply chain" (if I never hear that phrase again in life, I'll be overjoyed), which left me with little to no options. I finally found a couch online that was the right size, the style I wanted, and had excellent reviews, so I ordered it. Of course, as time passed, the delivery date kept getting more and more delayed. At this point, I had been without a couch for several months and wanted nothing more than to relax in my living room on something other than my fold-up camping chair.
Finally, as I was venting my frustrations to God one day, I felt like He was giving me The Look and saying, "Why won't you get what you desire? I told you you could have it." I still grappled with spending so much money on a couch (I mean, it's a couch), but I knew that God was trying to give me a desire of my heart, and I was resisting it. In hindsight, I can't believe I was low-key rejecting a gift from the Lord!
Here's the thing, God knows the desires of our hearts. I believe that many of these desires are placed in our hearts by God, but there are some that we have simply because we are human beings. He is a good father who gives good gifts - even if we can't fathom receiving them.
I realized I was resisting getting my dream couch for reasons I made up - God never said I couldn't have it.
I understand I am talking about a major first-world problem here, but work with me. It may not be a couch for you; it may be a job, a relationship, a home, an experience, whatever. What is something that you desire, that God said you could have, that you are resisting? A word of advice - the next time God wants to give you a gift, receive it.
P.s. Check out the Home Decor highlight on my Instagram to see the couch I finally chose.
SPROUT WHERE YOU'VE BEEN PLANTED
The biggest change I've experienced since moving to Texas is that there is A LOT of driving involved. Back home, driving 30+ minutes for something was absolute dedication. Here? It's just another errand. When I was initially house hunting, I targeted neighborhoods in a particular area of the DFW metroplex. However, where I ended up is in the complete opposite direction. I live far from just about everything and everyone. Okay, I'm being a bit dramatic. I didn't know many people when I got to Texas - I knew three, to be exact. Well, three people and their respective spouses, so six altogether. And almost all of them live more than 40 minutes from me. Couple all this with the fact that I had no idea why God called me to Texas, and we had a recipe for isolation.
It took me a while to feel settled and fall into a routine once I moved into the house after being in-between homes for so long. I had some stability because my job and work team were the same. But in November, I left the company I had been with for over 4.5 years and started with a brand new company in a fully remote position. I looked around and realized my entire life had changed; the only things that were the same were my car and my dog. I spent a lot of time grieving Cincinnati and my old life until I realized that Texas would never feel like home if I didn't make it my home.
I decided I needed to embrace where the Lord had placed me and create a new life for myself.
I found a new gym that excited me and fulfilled my bougie dreams (I'm a sucker for amenities). I joined a small group through my church to meet new people and explore the city. I even started embracing my suburb and viewing it for the gift that it was. To sum it up, I started sprouting where I was planted.
Even though I knew I needed to create something for myself here, I acknowledged that this season was one of semi-isolation. God was giving me space to focus on Him and be all-in on what He was doing in my life. After some reflection, I realized this happened during my time in Chicago and Cincinnati, but I only recognized it in the latter city. God will always make space for you; it's up to you to discern it and make space for Him.
In the last year, I have grown spiritually like never before, and I know it's because God had to place me somewhere that challenged me to focus on the one constant thing in my life - Him. Being in a new space, literally or figuratively, can be challenging! It can feel isolating and like you have no one who can relate. Take a moment to reflect on how you can make the most of where you are, no matter how long (or short) you've been there. What can you do today to thrive in where God's placed you?
DON'T MISS THE CURRENT SEASON
As I've mentioned, I had no idea why God was calling me to the great state of Texas. Finding a new home was difficult for many reasons, but not knowing why I was coming or what I would be doing here made it that much harder. I knew I needed something that would work immediately for Belle and me but would also be a solid investment - either as a rental property or for future resale. When I bought my townhome, I intended to live in it for 1-2 years, then move on to a bigger home and rent it out.
After only a few months of living in the townhouse, the Lord told me that I would be moving soon. As I said, I already anticipated not being here long, so that was not a shock. What it was, however, was an excuse to not fully settle into the house - where the Lord placed me for this season. When I moved in, I had purchased all of my basic furniture and had minimally decorated my office space, but that was it. I had no projects planned for the house, no decor on any walls except in the office, and empty spaces in a few rooms. Even my outdoor patio was bare. I kept thinking, "If I'm moving anyway, why bother?"
Eventually, I felt the unction to settle in and make this place a home. As the new year rolled in, I finally decided on a direction for the blank corner in my living room and ordered some furniture for it. When spring came around, I purchased some outdoor furniture on a budget. I wanted to get some high-end pieces similar to what I had inside the house, but I also knew that it would be easier to wait until I was in my new place with more space. In the interim, I got some adorable pieces from At Home to make my outdoor space match my indoor aesthetic (check it out here). Most recently, I decided to commit to putting things up on the walls. I cannot tell you how good it felt to look around and think, "Huh, so I guess I do live here." Once I had finished decorating and settling in, I kept joking with my friends and family that the Lord would probably have me move soon. I say this because it was only a couple of months after I finished updating my Cincinnati house that God called me to Texas.
Sure enough, recently, the Lord instructed me to walk the halls of my home and pray for the people that would live here. I know what that means, and I am ecstatic to see where He takes me next. But, I'm committed to enjoying this season and making my current place a home so that I don't miss out on anything He has for me here.
It can be easy for us to get so caught up in the future or what we know is promised to us that we miss what God is doing in the current moment.
I can't stress enough the importance of gleaning what you need from this season so that you can move confidently and correctly in the next season.
Each place in our journey has a specific purpose, and we must do the work to embrace where we are so that we're prepared for where we're going.
As I celebrate being in my home for a year and look around at the life I've built in the South, I can't help but wonder what is to come. I still don't know 100% why the Lord sent me down here, but I have some ideas. Until I fully figure it out, I'm committed to receiving the gifts God has for me, making this place my home, and enjoying where I am, every step of the way.
Have you ever had trouble receiving something God is trying to gift you, sprouting where God's planted you, or enjoying your current season without focusing too much on your next one? Let me know below!
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