The changing of the lens

We love our friends James and Penny so much that we wanted to go on holiday with them and their family in the 2017 summer holidays.

We got together, discussed it, planned what sort of holiday we wanted and what our budget was.

Our criteria was a villa with a pool somewhere in France. We didn't really mind where or what the villa was like particularly, just a place we could enjoy spending time together and relaxing.

Doesn't sound that difficult, does it?

Except that for some reason, it was impossible to book a holiday. Either our dates weren't available or the cost was ridiculously high. We even had one that was accepted that seemed perfect, which was then retracted the next day.

Sometimes circumstances force you to ask questions or to think about things differently.

So, the day after B&E had looked round our house was a Sunday at the end of March. I was chatting to Penny at church and made a bit of a flippant, passing comment about our possible holiday; 'Maybe there's another way to look at this, maybe God wants us to look at it differently...' From my point of view, it wasn't a developed thought and if I'm honest, I was more perhaps thinking was there a Relational Mission situation that we could go to that would double as a holiday...or something like that. However, my comment had a different effect on Penny.

Later that day she sent me a text saying that she had some 'London thoughts' that she needed to talk through with me. I raced round to her house. She said;

'I really don't want to say this, but I think we need to look at you moving differently. We are all looking at it through the lens of you moving in 2018 and suddenly there are some things that are starting not to quite fit, but I think that we need to take out that lens and replace it with the one that says you are moving in 2017.'

What? The look on my face must have portrayed my thoughts (it usually does!) as Penny said, 'hear me out...' She then went on to explain what she had been feeling and that my comment in the morning about the holiday had made her draw it all together in her mind. Penny is also prophetic and I trust what she says, so I listened as she made the following points;

- B&E and the note through the door. If we move in 2017, suddenly that timing fits

- The prophetic word I was given at Prayer & Equipping back in Sept 16; 'It's sooner than you think.'

- I had also been given a prophetic word from our church leader, Simon in Oct 16; 'I see a picture of a Cluedo board. In Cluedo, you roll the dice and only throw a 2 and think, oh no it's going to take me ages to get into the room I need to get to. However, in Cluedo there are also some secret passages that take you directly to a room and I feel God is going to give you some secret passage moments where you'll think; how did I get here so quickly?'

- Schools. We had been assuming that it would be easier to move in the transition year when Eli goes up to High School and Jemimah goes up to Junior School. Penny said that it would be much better for Eli to move up into year 6 and have a whole year to settle and make friends, to then go up to High School with in 2018.

- If we're meant to move in summer 2017, we cannot go on holiday with James and Penny!

Hmmm. As Penny was talking through these things, I felt that niggling prompt in the back of my mind - I had also noticed that the schools run through from 4-11 years so Jemimah would not be going 'up' to Juniors, she would stay at the same school whether we moved this year or next year. Hmmm. But we simply. Can't. Move. This. Year....it's impossible.

Penny did then point out that it would be equally impossible next year too! What are the main issues with it? The emotional cost of moving and the fact that we can't afford it. Does that change whether it's 2017 or 2018? Nope.

But oh flip (I think I may have used slightly stronger language!) really...moving this year? As in 4 or 5 months time? No way. Definitely not. Penny did a great job of talking me down(!) and we sat and gave it to God. We prayed that by the end of the Easter holidays, we would know for definite what to do; whether to agree to sell out house to B&E with full knowledge that we can't move; whether to move in 2017 or 2018. I knew that I had to call B&E back to say that we were reconsidering our timescale and ask them to give us a few weeks. Scary stuff.

I went home and recounted to Tim and he was...excited! Very excited! Seriously, why was it only me who was freaking out about this possibility?!!

I phoned B&E back and spoke to B. Before I could even say anything he said;

'Annice, before you start, E & I have been talking and we feel really strongly that we need to say something to you. Whether you end up selling your house to us or not, we just really feel that there's something you need to know.

We are both teachers and I deal with a lot of transition and I have to tell you that it will be far better for your son to move at the start of year 6 and then have a whole year to settle in and a group of friends to go up to High School with...'

Uhuh. It was word for word what Penny had said two days previously. Sometimes when God uses people to say things more than once you have to take notice.

I said to B that we were indeed reconsidering our timescale and could they give us until the end of the Easter Holidays to see if it was possible for us to move. He agreed and said that they definitely wanted our house.

I don't know if you can imagine yourself in our position for a moment? But to know that God may be asking us to agree to sell our house with absolutely no way of financing the buying of a house in London was HUGE. We prayed very specifically that we would be absolutely sure that it was the right thing to do because we were really scared.

Next blog post: The heart of the Father