In the midst of an upside down economy, it is easy to lose hope in a system that was intended to provide for us the basic necessities of life. When we left Virginia, we left a house for sale in a grim, slow moving housing market. It was not in the hands of the economy, however, but rather in the hands of our God – the One who supplies all of our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:13). So, month after month, we continued to make our monthly mortgage payments, slowly dwindling our personal savings account, yet all the while believing that God knew what he was doing, and that in HIS perfect timing, the house would be sold. With so many out there in the same or worse condition, it is not hard to get wrapped up in story after story of what wasn’t being sold elsewhere. Yet, we knew who had our situation in His hands.
Then, it happened. While in the middle of my science enrichment lesson to the 7th graders on our class trip to Ayutthaya, Lynette calls me to tell me we have an offer on the house!! A couple, after seeing it for the second time, decided to make us an offer. So, after some negotiation, much prayer, and the amazing help of some awesome friends, the closing was complete on Dec. 15th. That day, as I am staring at the picture our incredible realtor sent us with the word “SOLD” in red across the picture, I realized we no longer have any physical connection with, well, anywhere. The joy of a finished deal was replaced, for a moment, by a feeling of emptiness. We are no longer homeowners, after 17 years. I joked to myself, “wow, we are homeless.”
But God, in a way only He can do, spoke this to my heart: “No, your home is here, in heaven, with Me. You’re just passing through there.” The evening before, we had gone to a small restaurant across from the school called “Sojo’s”, short for Sojourner – A temporary resident. How amazingly appropriate!! So, although we no longer have a physical piece of earthly property with our name on it, God has reserved for us a place in heaven that we will eternally call “home”.