Gentlewoman, Rani Chavez

The church I attend has opened so many doors to meeting so many different people from all walks of life.  Rani and her husband Luis seemed to be a magnetic friendship for my husband and me.  It was as if God strategically placed this couple in our lives to be our BFFs.  I honestly can say that about a lot of the couples that we have met and the friends we have in our lives, but Rani and Luis have been extra special to us. 

Chris and Luis (our husbands) started their bond right away, but for Rani and me it wasn’t so instantaneous.  I remember Luis telling Rani one day, “Chris and I are going to go play soccer. Why don’t you guys go do yoga or something?” Rani and I didn’t go “do yoga”, but somewhere along the way, we became super close and she’s been such a supporter for me that I feel as if we have been friends forever. 

Rani is a sweet, fun, energetic and inspiring woman and I’m so glad to call her my friend and fellow sister in Christ.  Along with all my other sisters in Christ, Rani is one of my earth angels who lifts me in prayer.

Today I would like to share Rani’s story and hope you become inspired by her love of God, her strength and her ability to follow through on her dreams.  

 

1.     For those people who don’t know you, can you share a little bit about yourself?

 

My name is Rani (pronounced Ronnie) Chavez, wife to my loving husband, Luis and momma to our furbaby, a Chihuahua named Manny. I was born in Chicago, IL, raised in Orlando, FL and since my husband and I have been together, we have trekked around the U.S. and lived in various cities including Austin, TX and Denver, CO. I currently work full-time at the Art Institute of Dallas, and also attend as a student, majoring in Advertising Design.

 

2.     You and your husband of two years recently purchased your first home this year.  Congratulations! Can you share your house search/purchasing story with my readers?

 

Before moving to Dallas, Luis and I honestly did not think buying a house would have been a viable option given how much we had moved around in recent years due to his job. A few years ago, we started praying about our “Promised Land,” that God was to bless us with set down roots, raise a family, etc. We had a few cities in play that had given us the option of creating a home for our family, including our hometown. Would you believe that we ended up moving to a city in which we had no friends or family? Because that is what Dallas was for us! But Luis had shared with me once that Dallas had been a city placed into his heart some time ago, and when he felt the nudge to make the decision to move here through our prayers of our Promised Land, we knew it had to be God.

 

I believe that when everything falls perfectly into place, even in moments when you have your doubts, that it is God making moves for you. Our move to Dallas happened in this way when we were offered job positions prior to moving, and it also happened in our house hunt as well. The housing market right now is incredibly hot, and we discovered in our search that houses, especially the ones we chose, would only be on the market for 24 hours before it went under contract! We found ourselves in that situation a number of times, and even found ourselves in a bidding war on one home. But we continued to pray and believe that Dallas was still our Promised Land that God would come through.

 

And He did. In our search, we had visited an area of new construction of townhomes, and upon our first visit, while we loved the homes, we hesitated because of distance from our jobs. Following that visit, we continued to see disappointment after disappointment, so we decided to come back, review our options, and make an offer. The day we arrived to do this, Dot, the sales representative for the builder, told us that before we decided anything, she had two properties that had already been completed, but the previous contracts fell through, so they were now available. Not only were they now available, but they were also priced significantly lower than their standard sale price with the upgrades because the upgrades had already been included, and the builder recognized that the longer they sat empty and completed, the more money he would have to pay on it. So we decided to go for it!

 

As a first time homebuyer, I cannot even express to you the stress and anxiety I felt throughout the whole process of getting approved for a mortgage. But I saw God’s hand in this entire process. We had gotten a call from our realtor one night after we had signed the contract on the home and started the approval process. She had news that the bank appraisal had come back, and it had come back at LESS than the purchase price. This was an immediate worry because we knew a number of things, either good or bad, could happen including the builder choosing to reduce the purchase price or a cancellation of the contract all together if we can’t come to an agreement with the builder. But our realtor had more news – the builder not only agreed to sell it at the reduced appraisal price, but he also agreed to keep the previous terms of our contract, which included him paying for a portion of our closing costs! So to give you a number, we were able to purchase a completely brand new townhome for $20K less than the standard purchase price that they are now selling for. THAT, my friends, is ALL GOD!

 

 

3.     You and your husband recently celebrated your wedding anniversary this month.  Congrats! Most people don’t know that this is your second marriage.  Having experienced a marriage that didn’t survive, what advice would you share with other women who are in a relationship that (in their eyes) has no hope for recovery or for a woman who is either contemplating divorce/separation?

 

Ah, going for the big guns with this question! :)

 

I think it’s important to know a little bit of my back story to my first marriage before I give my advice. For privacy, I won’t use his name, but S and I got married fairly young. We had dated exclusively for about a year or so before he decided to go into the Air Force. We eloped shortly after he completed boot camp, and spent the first year of marriage apart with his first tour being overseas in South Korea. S and I were married for about 5 years before we divorced. There were a number of factors that affected our marriage in those 5 years including the military and chosen career paths. The last two years of our marriage were the rockiest. We had separated, but had made attempts to reconcile. I experienced many ups and downs and gray areas during this time with S. I won’t go into too much detail, but at the end of the day, and in hindsight, S and I had grown up and grown into two different people whose personal and professional goals just didn’t overlap or mesh well together. The decision to divorce was mutual between us. At that time, I can tell you that my decision was based on taking care of me and my happiness, knowing what I was worth, and feeling I had spent too much time waiting for him to turn around and decide to work at our marriage WITH me because I felt like it had been 110% me working, and 0% him working.

 

What I find is also very important to know is that when we decided to get divorced, I was not saved. I was far from God, and did not know Jesus. It was only after we began the process that I found Jesus and gotten saved. If I had gotten saved prior to making the decision, perhaps how I handled our marriage might have been different. I might have prayed about our situation or been more patient. But I do strongly believe that everything happens for a reason and that it is all a part of God’s amazing plan. God knows what He’s doing, and for me to find Him after the fact has His perfect timing all over it because I would not be who I am or be where I am today.

I recognize that an experience such as this, being part of a difficult relationship, is different for everyone. So many factors that affect the situation can come into play, and they can differ for the next person such as children or ownership of homes. Having gone through what I’ve gone through in addition to knowing what I know now, my advice would be to lean on and trust God. Pray about your situation. Pray for His guidance. Pray that He would speak to you and your heart. Find wisdom in His Word. Find support in friends who align themselves with God and His commands. One of the hardest things one can go through in this situation is feeling alone. But know you are NOT alone. As His beautiful daughter, He wants what is best for you, and He will ALWAYS be there for you. Seek Him, and you will find your answers.

 

 

4.     In your experience, what makes a marriage thrive? How is this marriage different from your first?

 

One of the first things I ever learned when I got saved and when I reconnected with Luis, who was one of the main people who brought me to Christ, was that our relationship was never just going to be Rani and Luis – it was always going to be a relationship between Rani, Luis and God. God has been the main difference in my second marriage in comparison to my first. He has brought us through our most happy and most difficult times, and it is He who has helped our marriage thrive.

 

I had read a quote awhile back by Ruth Bell Graham that said “A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.” I believe this applies to my marriage. With the Lord being at the center of our marriage, we always strive to be a forgiving wife and husband towards each other because we want to forgive as God as forgiven us. His forgiveness has become our standard. We are not a perfect couple; we fight and disagree as much as the next, but we recognize forgiveness and do so. We also don’t hold on to the anger; we let it go, and move forward. In addition to forgiveness, understanding, communication, and of course love, is key for us.

 

I wish I could say that how I felt for Luis when the sparks first flew is how I still feel now, but I can confidently say it’s not… because I love him much, much, much more now. :)

 

 

5.     What is your favorite verse?  What does this verse mean to you?

 

So hard to pick just one when I have many! I’ll have to go with Psalm 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

 

As women, we often find ourselves to be our own worst critic. I’m too short. I’m too tall. I’m too fat. I wish I was as smart as so-and-so. Why don’t I have a creative bone in my body like so-and-so? But honestly - how can the portrait be angry with the artist? How can the clay be angry with the potter? I could not have been created, BUT GOD chose to make me. I have been created with purpose, intent, worth, and love. I have been uniquely crafted by the finest creator – I am exactly who God wanted me to be. And you are too.

 

 

6.     What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

 

To keep moving forward, and if you ever come to a crossroads, pray about it.

 

7.     What are your dreams?

 

I have a few! I dream of the day where I can be my own boss and have my own business. I also dream of expanding our family one day to include not just our own children, but to also be able to give a child (or children) who has no family, a home and family of their own. I also hope to be an inspiration through my faith, work and actions.

 

 

8.       Who inspires you and why?

 

My parents are definitely one of my biggest inspirations. They immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in 1979/1980. They wanted a better life for themselves and their family; to chase the American dream. They have made so many sacrifices in moving to America - they left what they knew to be familiar and close; they missed watching their brothers and sisters grow up with their families; my mom missed the death of her mother and her funeral. But they did it all to make sure my brother and I had the opportunity to live a better life than they had. It is something I will forever be grateful for.

 

 

 

My husband also inspires me. I had mentioned earlier that Luis was one of the people that had a big part bringing me to Christ. When we first started dating, I remember one of our first conversations we had about God. I remember listening to him speak about God, and the passion and love I heard in his voice about Him was enough to make me break down and cry (and I did). He had come a long way in his journey as a Christian by the time he and I had begun dating, so I was always both inspired and intimidated by his knowledge and desire for God and His Word. Luis is one of the most God-fearing, selfless, loving, and hardest working people I know, and I am not just saying that because he’s my husband. :)

 

 

My FC family is also an inspiration. Before settling in Dallas, Luis and I had moved around quite a bit, so we never really had a chance to really make friends or find consistency in a church. When we started attending Fellowship Church, we made friends more quickly than in previous cities we lived in. For me, having not been truly part of a church family before, to have these people, these women, in my life has been truly life-changing. I have never been surrounded by as many women that love God as much as I do until now. I am constantly amazed at their strength and support for each other. Our FC family has welcomed us into their lives and have become the family we need in a city where we have none.

9.       What do you think women in our generation need to hear?

 

You are stronger, more amazing, and more talented than you give yourself credit for. You are beautiful. You are enough. You have purpose. You are worthy. Wrap your mind around how the God of the universe took the time to create you to be intended for something great. There has never been, and there will never be another you!

 

10.   What are you most proud of?

 

I’m most proud of how far I’ve come in my walk with Christ. Most days, I still feel like a baby Christian – I feel like there’s still so much more to learn and so much more wisdom to gain. But that saying, “I’m not where I want to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be,” – YES. I am eternally grateful for how far my Father in Heaven has carried me thus far, and I know He will continue to hold me up in my journey. I am also most proud of myself for going back to school to earn my degree. Every day, I see students at my college withdraw or drop a class because “it’s too hard” or “I need to work, so I can’t take classes,” and I could easily be one of those students, too. To be a full-time employee and a student is not an easy task, and I come home exhausted every single day of the week wanting to give up, but I don’t. I’m keeping my eye on the prize, and I keep moving forward.

 

Thank God for my old stompin' ground. I wouldn't be standin' right here, right now, If it wasn't for Texas. – George Strait “Texas”