Have you ever prayed for God’s direction, and then quietly handed Him your map? I have. Not literally, of course. But somewhere along the way, I’d already decided where God could work, how He should answer, and what the outcome ought to look like. I wasn’t asking Him to write the story. I was asking Him to approve mine. This story is about when God colors outside of your lines.
Isaiah 55:8–9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
Looking back, I smile at how patient He was with me. Because He knew something I didn’t. His destination was far better than anything I’d marked on my map.
The Plan Made Perfect Sense
After spending three years in our little apartment (coming back from Indiana/through COVID/selling our house/looking for a new place), Carmen and I were finally ready to look for our next home. Needless to say, I was excited.
I had done my homework. I knew our budget. And I knew the communities we were looking for. I even had a digital map with a carefully shaded area showing exactly where we would—and absolutely would not—look.
If you’ve ever met me, you probably aren’t surprised. I like plans. I like organization. And I like knowing where I’m headed.
There is a certain comfort in drawing lines around uncertainty.
Carmen…
Well…
Let’s just say she sees boundaries as friendly suggestions. When I proudly showed her my carefully shaded map, I pointed with confidence.
“This is our search area.”
She studied it. Smiled. And said, “Got it.” That smile should have warned me. It usually means she’s already thinking outside the box I’m trying to live in.
The Roller Coaster of Hope
Weekend after weekend, we loaded the car with bottles of water, snacks, and a stack of real estate printouts. Every Saturday felt like another opportunity. Maybe today would be the day.
One house looked perfect online. Until we arrived. The smell hit us before we reached the front door. It was somewhere between mildew… wet carpet… and poor life choices.
We looked at each other. Turned around. And left.
Another home advertised a “bonus room.” Apparently the bonus was discovering that someone had managed to install a light bulb inside what could only be described as a walk-in closet.
Another sold before we even had a chance to see it.
Hope. Disappointment. Repeat.
Eventually it became our running joke. “Maybe the next one will smell like hope.” We laughed. But underneath the laughter… I was growing discouraged.
It Was Never About the House
The more I look back on that season, the more I realize something. We weren’t really looking for a house. We were looking for a place where people would feel welcome.
A place where:
- Conversations would last longer than dinner.
- Strangers could become friends.
- Laughter would echo across the backyard.
- People might experience a little glimpse of God’s peace.
At the time, we couldn’t have imagined Chateau Mariposa. But God already could. Sometimes He gives us the vision long before He reveals the location.
The house wasn’t the dream; hospitality was. The house was simply the tool God would eventually use.
The Battle I Didn’t Expect
The hardest part wasn’t finding a house. It was what the search exposed inside me. Part of me wanted to trust God. The other part wanted guarantees.
The provider in me kept calculating numbers. The believer in me kept hearing a whisper.
“Do you trust Me?”
I wish I could tell you I answered without hesitation. I didn’t. But I wanted faith… as long as faith stayed inside my carefully shaded boundaries.
Maybe you’ve prayed that way too.
“Lord, I’ll follow You…
…as long as You lead me where I already planned to go.”
The problem is… God rarely works inside the boxes we build for Him. He has a habit of coloring outside our lines. And thank goodness He does.
Closed Doors Aren’t Always Rejection
As the weeks stretched into months, I began wondering if we’d missed God somehow.
Every “No,” every house that sold, every disappointment, and every dead end. They all felt like failure.
Now I see them differently. God wasn’t saying no to us. He was saying no for us. Every closed door eliminated another place that wasn’t His best. Every disappointment narrowed the path. And every delay moved us one step closer to something we couldn’t yet imagine.
Sometimes God’s guidance doesn’t feel like progress; it feels like frustration. But frustration can be one of God’s greatest forms of direction.
Your Everyday Life
I wonder…
Have you drawn boundaries around how God is allowed to answer your prayers? Maybe you’ve decided…
It has to happen this way. Through these people. By this date. In this place.
What if the answer you’ve been praying for is waiting just beyond the lines you’ve drawn? Next week I’ll tell you about the day Carmen found a house that wasn’t even on my map.
A place called Weeki Wachee. A place I was certain was too far away… too risky… and completely outside of God’s plan. At least… outside of my plan.
As it turns out, those are often two very different things.
Challenge of the Week
Take a blank sheet of paper this week and write one sentence at the top: “Lord, where have I limited You?” Then spend a few quiet moments listening. You may discover that the lines you’ve drawn aren’t protecting your future… They’re preventing you from seeing it. So be it.
Additional Note:
What is your journey like? In this series, my journey started like a parallel journey to the Prodigal Son – Luke 15. Jump in with me to where my journey started and see what your journey looks like as you walk through mine with me. Here are the links where you can go back and jump into the journey with me:
- When Love Found Me – This is the introduction to it all.
- Before Love Found Me – God was pursuing me before I knew it.
- God at a Distance – I was looking in the wrong places.
- When God Broke In – God met me in my brokenness.
- After the Tears – Following Jesus became a shared journey.
- Packing Up Faith – Obedience required leaving the familiar.
- Making Room – God transformed our home into a place where others could encounter His love.
- Trusting God’s Hand – Even when it doesn’t make sense.
- When You Think You Need One More Miracle – and no matter, God does it again!
- From Waiting to Wonder – Sometimes God does His greatest work in places we can’t wait to get out of.
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