Who knew that at the age of 42, I would be living with my parents in California?
“Not I!” said the little Black girl.
But as of December 2022, my parents moved from Texas to California to live with me, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Let me start from the beginning.
Starting in 2019, prayers about wanting a new house were being prayed. My starter home was lovely and an immense blessing, but I was beginning to grow out of it. I wanted a bit more space and comfort for when I had family or friends come stay with me. However, every time I took my request before the Lord, I felt as if He repeatedly told me to wait. No explanation. No timeframe. Just . . . wait.
I wish I can tell you that I knew for sure God said to wait. I just knew this direction wasn’t the enemy because he didn’t want me operating with wisdom or patience. He would have loved for me to forge full steam ahead without pausing to seek God’s will in the matter.
But I waited. And after the world-stopping drama of 2020 happened, I began thinking even more about a new home in 2021 as people were moving away from the Bay Area to be closer to friends and family. Yet every time I tried to look at homes or consider engaging my realtor, it was as if there was a check in my spirit around moving ahead. I even had conviction when scrolling through Redfin or Zillow and felt as if I had to stop looking.
So, I did.
I sat on the sideline as house prices soared and interest rates followed. I started to get concerned that I wouldn’t be able to afford a home simply due to interest rates, but I gave my worries to God. Once again, it seemed as if I was met with another “wait.”
So, I did.
I waited and continued to build my savings while sitting at home like everyone else. While at home, I created a list of all the things I desired in my new home. A two-car garage, two bathrooms with ample vanity space for doing my hair, and a large walk-in closet were at the top of my list. But I didn’t stop there. I got specific about the square footage, space for a home gym, a library, and an office.
I shared my home dreams with a trusted advisor who said I should start asking Jesus, “what kind of home are You going to buy me?” I had never really considered asking Him in that manner. I was used to asking God how He would empower me to buy the house I wanted. She explained how it would be by His might and power, not my own, so I should ask Him what type of house He’s going to get for me.
So, I did. I prayed and prayed but never felt like I was given the go-ahead to start looking.
Skip to 2022 when interest rates were skyrocketing and home prices weren’t dropping as much as I hoped, I prayed again about when I could get a new house and felt like God finally gave me the thumbs up to start the home-buying process.
While I was excited to begin, my finite mind couldn’t really comprehend how now could be a good time to start looking considering the state of the market. Instead of rejoicing at getting a “yes,” I was looking at the reality of my situation versus the miracle-working power of Jesus Christ.
I started small by venturing out to new areas of town with my realtor to see a few houses. Nothing really stood out and I felt slightly discouraged about the available inventory and price ranges for where I wanted to buy.
Then, God threw a wrench in my plans.
I believe He planted the bright idea that I should move my parents to California to live with me.
Wait. A. Minute.
I wasn’t sure if I was hearing correctly so I prayed about it. Did God really want me to live with my parents? We get along extremely well but would they want to upend their life to join me in California? Is this a practical thing to do? Can I actually afford to do this? Where did this idea even come from?
After taking these questions to Jesus, I also sought wise counsel. I asked my sister, a close friend, and one of my mentors. Everyone exclaimed about how good of an idea it was. I wasn’t expecting the overwhelmingly positive responses because multi-generational living wasn’t very common in my community. Most people invite their parents to live with them because their parents are aging and need support, they need help raising their family, or it makes sense financially. None of those scenarios applied to us. My parents are healthy and get around just fine on their own, your girl is single as a pringle, and the Lord has blessed us financially.
Walking in faith about what I thought I heard the Lord say, I took the idea to my parents and asked them to seek God about it. I wanted to ensure it was the Lord’s will and not my own. They soon gave me a resounding yes and the next thing I knew, their house was on the market, and I was looking for a bigger home to buy.
Potentially living with my parents changed everything about the house hunt. The size requirements of the house increased, the type of living arrangements changed, the kitchen expectations differed and suddenly, I was looking at homes I hadn’t imagined I could afford. I was exercising big faith.
And God responded exceedingly and abundantly above what my meager list asked for. We ended up with a gorgeous home with two separate garages, four bathrooms, a walk-in closet of my dreams, along with the perfect layout, details, and benefits I didn’t even think to ask for.
The details surrounding the purchase of our home is a faith-filled story for another week, but I do want to address the question you may be thinking and has come up when I tell people I’ve moved my parents in with me: what about when your new boo comes and you want to get married?
I know. I’ve prayed about it and asked God what He’s going to do. This question has run through my mind several times, and the answer is I have no idea. And I believe that’s the point.
Instead of me trying to figure things out and draft a plan, God has made this entire process a walk of faith. Who knew that from my desire to buy a new home, my parents would end up selling their home and moving from Texas to California to live with me?
Jesus has orchestrated each move every step of the way. I can only seek His face and wait to see what He wants me to do next. He’s been clear that I cannot figure anything out. My job is to trust and believe.
Walking blindly with big faith has been one of the most uncomfortable yet rewarding things I have ever done. I’ve questioned the decision a few times, especially as I adjust to living with others for the first time in nineteen years, but I have no doubt this is part of His plan for my life. He’s stacking the chips to bring Him glory while working things out for my good.
I’ll share more about this journey of big faith as the year progresses. Let’s just say when God says wait, He’s got something amazing in store for you.
