I was stuck.

Remember my blog post Forever Home? I recounted the story of getting our house and how much we loved it…

That was, until I felt so uncomfortable in my own home that I wanted to move.

We had had the perfect cul de sac. The neighbors were friendly, it was safe, and we were in a good school district with a ton of amenities.

So what could go wrong?

It started with a friendship. Years ago, we had a neighbor that I became friends with. We would hang out at each other's houses, go to the pool, play games together, and enjoy each other's company.

Then, one day, after about a year of friendship, I texted her to see if she would like to join me and some other ladies for lunch.

No response.

I thought that was unusual, so I tried calling her.

No response.

I assumed she was busy, so I left it at that.

I tried reaching out to her again, but she ghosted me.

I wondered what I had done to make her not want to talk to me. Had I said something wrong? Had I offended her somehow? I couldn't think of anything.

I tried to reach her at home, but she wouldn't answer the door. I tried writing her a letter. Still nothing. She completely shut me out.

I was left confused and sad. I had lost a friend, and I didn't even know why.

Then, a couple of months later, things got worse. Her behavior toward me became increasingly hostile. I won't go into details, but it made my life very uncomfortable living next to her. From no contact to becoming my enemy.

Now I was even more confused. How did this happen!? I had gone from having a wonderful friendship to feeling like I had an enemy living next door.

I loved my home. I loved my neighborhood. I loved everything about where we lived.

Except now, I had this thorn in my side.

And I wanted out.

My husband and I had already talked about eventually moving to a new area that had land, privacy, and maybe even a private pool. Now I had a catalyst to get that ball rolling!

We started looking.

We found a house that checked everything on our list. It was perfect! But we didn't get it in time, so we kept looking.

Disappointing, but no big deal. There would be another one.

And there was!

Another house popped up that had everything we were looking for, so we put an offer in immediately. Unfortunately, this was right when the market was getting ridiculously competitive. There were multiple bids on that property. I even knew the seller, but our offer was contingent, so they went with the other offer.

Again, we found another house and made an offer right away, but so did another person, for WAY over asking price, and with no contingencies or inspection. These people were cutthroat!

We tried one more time for a ‘perfect house,’ but we didn't get that one either.

Door after door was shut. Four houses. Four disappointments. I was beginning to think maybe God didn't want us to move. But we did not want to stay!

I felt trapped in a situation I couldn't change, and every attempt to escape seemed to lead to another closed door. What was I supposed to do?

What I always do! Pray. I'm always praying. And during one of those times of prayer, a Bible verse suddenly came to mind. Matthew 17:20: “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Maybe God was protecting us by not letting us move. Maybe He wanted us to be content where we are. Maybe there was something about our home or our future that I couldn't see yet. Whatever the reason, we were not moving. But then I had another thought. Just because God want moving us, didn't mean He couldn't move my neighbor!

It was a longshot. They had been there longer than I had. They were well established and had just built a beautiful patio. They certainly didn't seem like people who were planning to move anytime soon. But God is bigger than our plans. He cares about us.

I could stay in my house; why should I have to move? I prayed, “God, if you are able to move mountains, then I know you are able to move my neighbor!”

I had faith. It may have been the size of a mustard seed, but that's all He asks of us.

Then I had a strong impression that God was telling me to be patient. Not that my prayer wouldn't be answered. Just that I needed to wait.

Then I had another thought. Their youngest child would graduate in a year. That would be a good time for them to find somewhere else to live. I had no way of knowing whether or not that would actually happen.

They had lived there forever, and I certainly didn't know of any plans for them to leave.

But I couldn't shake the impression that I needed to be patient until then.

A whole year!

I had been trying to get away from this situation, and now I felt that God was asking me to stay put and wait.

Sometimes God's answer to our prayers isn't "no." It's "not yet."

I continued living in my home, going about my life, and trusting that God knew what I needed.

And then something happened.

Their youngest child graduated from high school. And shortly afterward...

They moved.

Just like that.

After all those years of living next door, they were gone. We didn't need to sell our house. We didn't have to move our family. We didn't have to find a new neighborhood.

Our situation changed and I was still in the home that I loved.

God sees us. He knows us. Jeremiah 29:11 says: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

He knows our circumstances, our frustrations, and our desires.

And sometimes, when we think we need an entirely new life, He has a different way of bringing peace into the one we already have.

Matthew 5:44: “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”

That isn't always easy.
Especially when the person you're praying for lives right next door!
But I still pray for my former neighbors, just as I pray for the neighbors I have now, but now the cul de sac is so much more peaceful and my home is comfortable again.

Sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers the way we think He should, but He does always answer! He knows what's best for us and He wants us to trust Him.

Sometimes God doesn't move the mountain we want Him to. Sometimes He asks us to wait. And sometimes… He moves the neighbors instead.

Ephesians 3:20: “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”