The Picture Window

Before I became a mother, I worked full-time as a lawyer.  A litigator.  Going to court and taking depositions involves a certain amount of stress, although for the record being a mother is by far the more difficult job.  During my time litigating, I kept a picture in my desk drawer that I had torn from the pages of Country Living magazine.  It is the picture of the kitchen window above.  When I was particularly stressed, I would open my drawer and look at that picture and it would calm me.  I could imagine standing in front of that sink, barefoot in the summertime, watching out the window while the children I longed for ran and played in the grass.  It was a dream place for me and God knew.  He knew every detail.

I don’t remember looking at my “picture window” the last year I worked at my firm.  That was the year I was pregnant with Wynn.  There isn’t anything quite like feeling your baby stretch and hiccup inside of you to keep you grounded and focused on the important things.  I guess you could say that my picture window came to dwell inside of me and I forgot all about the glossy dog-eared picture I’d torn from the magazine.

After Wynn was born and we had moved into our rental house, I spent a Sunday afternoon cleaning out my office at the law firm.  I stumbled on “the picture window” at the bottom of a drawer.  My breath caught in the back of my throat.  Apparently sometime in the prior year I had forgotten the specifics of the architecture of that window. 

But our God never forgets the details.

He goes ahead of us, He fights for us, and He prepares a place for us. (Deuteronemy 1:30; Matthew 28:1-8).

That Sunday afternoon in my old office, I held a ragged magazine page that had been forgotten at the bottom of a drawer and looked right at the very kitchen that God had led our family to when He called us out of our New Old House and toward the Harvest. 

It is a pretty exact replica of the kitchen in our rental house.

You can see for yourself. 

I can’t tell you how many times I questioned our decision to sell our house and move and whether I had really heard God’s whisper and interpreted it correctly. Was I lost? Was I where I was supposed to be? Were we following the Lord or had we misread the map entirely? Finding that magazine page that Sunday afternoon was a true God-Stop moment in my life. He spoke to me and I knew I was in the right place. I knew He was right beside me. He had gone ahead and prepared my place.

What can I even say about the fact that I am holding my precious baby, standing in front of that kitchen window?

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived, the things God has prepared for those who love Him- these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9.

I hadn’t planned to blog about the picture window.  It seemed too personal and hard to believe and for some reason I was hesitant.  Then last night I was looking through some images online, trying to find motivation to write something and I came across the same Country Living photo.  I think God was telling me to sing of his faithfulness from the rooftops.
Take heart.  He is ahead of you at this very moment, preparing a place for you.  Be faithful when you hear him whisper your name and call you forth. 
Trust me, you do not want to miss it. 

68 Comments

  1. Wow Erin! I truly have chills! I think this story is so amazing, just like your story of seeing the high water sign. When God speaks to you, he literally SPEAKS! We are in a similar situation with our home. We rented ours(since we couldn’t sell)in hopes to downsize to my inlaw’s former house. It seems that everything that could go wrong has and I am constantly wondering if we were wrong in doing so. I hope that one day I get a definite affirmation from the Almighty! Enjoy your picture window!

  2. Erin, I just started following your blog in the past month, and this is such a beautiful post! Thank you for sharing something so dear to your heart–isn’t it wonderful when we can see God working in our lives!?

  3. wow. i don’t even know what to type other than “wow”. thank you SO much for sharing and listening to Him.

  5. The past couple of days have been hard, I’ve been feeling lost and confuse and then I stumble on your page. Thank you for helping me restore my faith!

  6. thank you so much for your posts! that is AMAZING! God cares for us more than we could ever possibly imagine. Thank you for remiding us that. I look forward to your posts. Keep posting, even if it’s once every 2 months, don’t stop! haha I LOVE em! =) God bless you!! =)

  7. That was a lovely post….Thank You for being faithful and sharing your story!! It is wonderful when you can see Gods hand moving in your life and the small things He gives us for reassurance.

  10. So Beautiful. And inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing. I love your blogs. and admire you.
    Was just thinking the other day, I hoped you were alright, as you hadn’t bloged very much.
    I am not sure how to make my blog. No experience. But some day I will share my experience of how God has spoken to me. Especially hard to comprehend what he is truly saying. But eventually we see the light.
    Hugs

  12. hi
    BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN!!!!
    I agree with you when you say god is there with us and I always ask him to give me a way…
    My father had a similar experience many many years back when he was to shift to a new home and was in a dilemma as to the decision to be taken (long story) He dream t about the decision that he should take and it proved the right decision…(he asked god to help him out)
    GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY..
    I have you added in my side bar hope you don’t mind…

  13. This post could not be more timely for me. We are struggling with a layoff and the fear of the unknown right now, but to know (and be reminded) that God is going ahead of us to prepare for what is coming is a calming wind in the midst of our storm. I know that this story is extremely personal to you, but I have found more blessings in this post than anything I have read in a long time. Thank you for sharing this story. It has been a blessing to me and will continue to be for a long time to come. Continued blessings to you.

  14. What a powerful story! So glad you were willing to share it with all of us. That’s what we refer to as a “GOD” moment around our house!

  15. Erin…..I love that you heard God whisper his plan to you and that you followed and didn’t hesitate to obey….

    and now, you’re sitting each morning holding and playing with that sweet son of yours….

    living in the smaller house is totally worth it when you get to spend your days with him! Right!

  16. Thank you Erin for sharing!! I needed to see this today. The Lord is taking us on a journey, and I just have to “have the faith” that he is preparing that special place just for us!! Thank you! Thank you!!

  18. Thank you for sharing this post! I needed just this type of encouragement this morning; God is so good that way! It is so good to know that we have a God/ a Father that watches out for us, prepares a way for us and leads us there when the timing is perfect…

  20. I have so enjoyed reading (and viewing) your blog since I found it. This story was beautiful. It reminded me of a similar story my friend, Nancy, shared one time of a time in her life when she was here in the states as a missionary from the Philippines, working with children who had special needs. At one point while she was here, working so diligently and feeling exhaustion much of the time – she felt the need for some alone time (a rarity for her) and sat down to sketch out her heart’s desire at that moment for a peaceful setting in which to be – it included a backdrop of mountains, with a small cabin (reminiscent of the huts from home in the Philippines), and a bird flying by in the sky. Her feelings now expressed on paper, she tucked her drawing away and returned to her work.

    Sometime passed before she was invited to travel with friends to the mountains of the Ozarks – in Branson. One day, she stepped out of the little cabin they were staying in – and found a quiet spot to pray and think. She had her camera along and at some point took it out and shot a photo of the serene landscape. When she looked at the sight she had just captured on camera, she was reminded of the sketch she had made some time back – when she was longing for a peaceful quiet time like this. As her fingers pulled the sketch out she looked back and forth and was amazed to find essentially the same picture…complete with the bird flying overhead. How special it was for her to be shown in a very personal way that God knows our hearts even desires we don’t specifically pray for…but just long for…and He delights in bringing us joy!

  21. I’m so glad you decided to share this! I’m in new territory, having just made a decision I knew God called me to make. I’ve struggled with doubts – did I do the right thing?? Am I in God’s will?? It has really been a battle some days. Choosing to trust Him isn’t always an easy thing for me to do.

    Thank you for your post! It has truly been of great encouragement to me today!

    PS – I really love and enjoy reading your blog … it’s one of my favorites! 🙂

  24. Thank you for sharing….this touched me for the struggles I went through were because a house and a rental.

  25. This is a beautiful post. Thank you for sharing. I have had nearly the same experience but in another context. Our God is about the business of letting us “see” into His goodness, His provision, and His everlasting love for us, His children. It is a window into another world!

  26. This is so moving Erin…gave me chills and a few tears. You are definitely in the right place. Love you friend!

  27. This is a beautiful post.

    But I have to ask, because it’s all very abstract to me…how do you know God is “whispering” to you? I’m trying harder to recognize His voice in my life and I don’t really know what I should be looking/listening/paying attention to.

  28. Great post – once, again! Thanks for the reminder – I am working on trust-Him-no-matter-what. Why is that hard? I will picture your picture window the next time I start to worry and waiver. (former engineer, here – isn’t it wonderful we don’t ever have to be ‘stuck’ in our titles?)
    Enjoy your weekend, Erin!
    -Trish

  33. Wow! God needed you to write this for all of us! I thank you for following his heed and getting to this point so you share with the rest of us this beauti!

  34. Jeremiah 29:11 comes to mind with this post…like you so beautifully worded…
    “our God never forgets the details.” I can’t even begin to share how much your blog has spoken to my heart over the past year. Thank you for following the call of the Lord and for sharing as He prompts…it is not for naught.

  35. Thank you. God is so good…it’s just amazing to me that I can get so worked up over losing or not having or having to wait. There have been times in my life when God has truly out of the blue given me “the desires of my heart”, and I thank you for this beautiful post that reminds me to remember and rest in Him.

  36. This is an amazing post – it gave me chills! That top photo is one I have had in my inspiration file for years now, too. This just made my day. 🙂

  39. Wow. Our God is amazing…what a clear picture he gave you that indeed, you have made the right decision.

  41. Wow. I am so amazed and encouraged by this experience that you’ve shared with us. Right now I’m in a time of waiting (and God has very clearly repeated to me over and over that this is a time of waiting) and trusting (God has also repeated “Don’t be afraid”). Sometimes I worry about what’s to come, and whether I’ll like it, or it’ll be one of those “character building” things that you’re thankful for once they’re done, but are awful when you’re going through them. I am so encouraged by your story.
    Alexandra

  42. Katie- I love your question and it is hard to answer because I think for everyone it is different. For me it is almost a feeling of “rightness” in my heart-that a certain decision is right, like it is a fact I just know even though I may WANT something different. I believe this is the Holy Spirit living in me. This can sometimes take a long time-I will pray on a decision and just feel like “I don’t know the answer! I don’t know what is right!” but that eventually God will show me the answer. The more you know God’s word through reading the bible and knowing or even memorizing scripture, you can actually hear God’s own words play back to you in your mind when you are confronted with a challenge or a decision to be made and then you can be certain that they are in fact His own words guiding you. I like to use the analogy of God speaking in a whisper, which is biblical, because I personally have found that I have really shut out the world and its influences and intentionally draw near to God to find God’s path for me-it is there but you really have to listen adn seek it with your whole heart, intentionally. I hope this helps!? Thank you for reading!

    Erin

  43. Sorry, that should say “I have found that I have TO really shut out the world and its influences . . . ” Sorry for the typos!

  44. I read your blog all the time, but rarely comment. But I HAVE TO comment on this post. Wow! God does work in mysterious ways. Thank you so much for sharing this. It gave me the chills. He is soooo good!

  45. i read this post last week and as soon as i saw the pic, i thought you decorated your lil kitchen with the red watering cans. wow! wow! i have thought about this over the past few days and i feel the connection of God working in your life. it is truly amazing.

    i have been very curious what you have decided on the couches! i am pulling for slipcovered. i just talked to one of my very good friends and she is having a terrible time keeping her upholstered couch clean with a 2 year old. i say slipcovers. keep us posted on all of these wonderful things in your life! hugs, cathy

  46. Hi Cathy! We went with the slipcover!! Waiting on delivery from Pottery Barn-not til the beginning of March, boo, but can’t wait to have it!!

  47. This was a great way to start my morning. Actually I also read your I do post this morning and I thought it was fantastic too. It is so lifting to here how God works in the little details, But to take the time to notice those little details is your gift back to him, and to share with others is the cherry on top. Thank you.

  49. Thanks for the encouragement. We’re doing something similar and just listed our house on monday. scary and easy to rethink and wonder if we’re doing what’s right, but the Lord is giving us reminders along the way that we are walking where He wants us to walk.

  52. Erin you write so beautifully about your faith in the Lord, thank you so much for sharing your journey with Him.

    I wrote you about this time last year when I was mourning the loss of my sweet kitty. This year I am struggling with something a bit different, but something you are no stranger to, infertility.

    But God has been there with me every step of the way. More and more I am humbled by how personal our Lord is in our lives. I just wrote a post about it actually.

    Thank you again for this beautiful blog of yours and all that you share with us.

  54. I have been reading your blog for awhile, but I don’t think I have ever commented. But thank you for listening to the Lord and writing this. Absolutely beautiful and a great reminder that God does go ahead of us and prepare a place for us. Right now I am looking forward to the place he is preparing for us in heaven. 🙂

  55. Thank you so much for following God’s leading, and writing this. I needed to read it tonight. 🙂

    Jennifer

  56. Great is His faithfulness. His love and tender/intimately personal care of each of us continually amazes me. i’m so glad you posted!

  57. Hi Erin,
    I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy reading your blog, your words simply overflow with love for God. You inspire me to seek Him more and hear His whispered words to me..
    I gave you a litle award on my blog because…well because I wanted to!
    I hope you have a great day!
    Theresa

  59. I needed to hear this I have been following a path much like yours and feeling much like you as well this just took my breath away.I only found your blog just a few minutes ago this is the first entry I have read.I know I was ment ti find it at just this time.MELITA

  60. Wow! Thanks SO much for sharing this, Erin. God brought me all the way from Columbus, OH to Estes Park, CO last year after remarrying (my first husband went home to the Lord on May 21, 2007). Dennis and I are hoping to close on our first home together in March. We made offers on 3 other homes and God said, “wait”. We’re trusting God with the outcome of this house. If it happens, I will be blogging about it, for sure! If it doesn’t happen, I’ll keep trusting Him. He’s brought me this far, I know He’ll take me all the way. By the way, we’re celebrating our first anniversary today, Valentine’s Day. God IS awesome!

  61. so glad i found your blog again. i read it one night for too long, forgot to save the link, and wasn’t sure how i found you. this time i’m clicking on the follower button. you have a beautiful heart and the words to express it. so happy to have “met” you!
    tessa

  63. Love your post. Just this morning I posted on my Facebook page: ‎4 he loves us with unfailing love; his faithfulness endures forever.

    I just love His faithfulness.

  65. I’m just writing because someone recommended your blog a long time ago, and said that we were in a situation was perhaps similar. I believe I commented once, when our journey was beginning, but somehow lost your link and just stumbled upon it by accident the other day. This post was some major encouragement to me… we’ve been called out of our current home, so that we can purchase a home with a smaller mortgage, thus freeing us up to use that income for whatever God would like to use it for, and are trying to make changes in our life style as well so that we are doers of the word, and WALK the walk, not just talk about it. Anyway, things sort of unraveled on us this weekend, as the moving truck, was soon to come, and our entire house was packed, only to have our elderly cash buyer confess that she’d been under the impression she’d won the publisher’s clearning house sweepstakes, which she had not won. Now several households which were packed and ready to move are all in a holding pattern. I am sure you have talked about why you guys left your previous home, but I don’t know… I just wanted to say that what you said here, blessed me.

    Great is His Faithfulness!
    Blessings,
    Sasha

  66. Erin- I read your blog daily…and I love it. I have never left a comment but today’s post just blew me away. Life is amazing. Thank you for making me stop on a busy day for a moment to realize the ways that the Lord works in our lives and the way we can make our own destiny.

    Lynda

  67. Isn’t it so amazing how God works in our lives? And that He knows each and every one of His children?

    I feel He is weaving this beautiful and intricate tapestry for my life, and I pray that I keep following Him. Some day I will be blessed to see just how much He was guiding my life.

    Thank you for sharing your precious experience.

  68. Erin,

    Thank you for writing this post. I don’t have time to tell you all of my “God House Stories,” but God called us to move to a different house four years ago. Sometimes I see clearly why He has us here and other times I wonder in frustration if I really heard Him correctly. He has been reaffirming this move in big ways lately. Your entry is such a testimony to me to remember that He is faithful.

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