Payoff Request

As we've rounded this last bend towards the finish line, we've committed to push hard all the way to that final step.

Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it?

God blew our timeline out of the water. I had counted the cost and then set what I thought was an ambitious goal: to pay our house off in 36 months. We had $79k left to pay off, so that would have been over $2,000 EXTRA toward the mortgage every month.

I wanted to be debt free by my 30th birthday. It's 2018, not 2020. I'm 28 years old for a couple more months. Every month, and with every payment, God whispered, "YOU can't do this. I can."

Last December, I expected to have our biggest month. I was going to push hard selling things online, we were going to get Christmas money, and we were going to end up way ahead, putting massive amounts towards the mortgage. That month was one of our lowest. When I get proud, thinking I'll make progress on my own, God makes me small.

His strength is made perfect in my weakness.

How fitting, that He's going to pay off our mortgage in December, 22 months after we started.

This is our first time paying off a house, and it wasn't as straight forward as I'd imagined. You can't just pay off your house. You have to send the mortgage lender a payoff quote request. Essentially, there's a $50 fee for them to send you the paperwork saying that you now own your home. We sent the request, and they sent us back the exact amount that we owed, a date that the request expires (if we don't pay it off by December 21st, we'd have to re-request the payoff quote), and the requirement that the payoff can't be paid online (it must be wire transferred or sent by certified check).

We aren't quite ready to pay it off yet, but we've asked God to pay it off this month, and we have every expectation that, as we work, He'll hand us the money to pay off our mortgage this month.

Our mortgage. That final debt. This final payment. Hello, finish line.