Perseverance — LuAnn K. Edwards

This past Sunday after church, my husband, youngest daughter, and I met our son and his two children at a local park. We chatted, laughed, and played our version of soccer—we stood in a circle and kicked the ball back and forth. During one of my sit-it-out breaks, a girl about seven years old asked me if she could sit on the bleachers next to me. I smiled and said yes. Then I scooted down the row to give her more space to distance myself and not cause her family alarm. After all, there’s Covid and she shouldn’t be talking to strangers, should she?

Within a minute or two, her older sister, about ten years old, approached. She spoke in hushed tones, but I heard something like this.

Older: Come on. You shouldn’t be here.
Younger: She said I could sit.
Older sounding stern: Ignore them. Let’s go.

I had to laugh. I could see their two personalities shining forth. The younger girl was extroverted and wanted to have fun and watch our family play. I assumed the older girl knew the “don’t talk to strangers” rule and wanted to protect her little sister. Like me, the older girl was the introverted rule follower, and she persevered in her sternness until her little sister followed her back to their parents.

Merriam-Webster defines perseverance as the effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. That’s where our family finds itself today. We lost house offer number four mentioned in my last blog, and this past weekend, we found out we lost number five as well.

Here in Middle Tennessee, houses are selling for five to ten percent over the asking price. Buyers waive home inspections and agree to pay cash for amounts over the appraised value or waive the appraisal. They make offers on homes without seeing them—houses are contracted before they’re available for showings—even before the agents post pictures.

But we persevere. We strive to find a home despite these difficulties. God is still in control and knows where our house is located and when we’ll find it. He has a plan for us, and we trust He will provide us a home soon.