HOUSE FOR SALE & EVERYTHING IN IT

When I look back on my life, it seems as if I’ve always been “on the move.”   I mean that!    My Dad was in the Air Force and most of us are aware of the ingredients in the life of a military family. If you have never had friends who were in the service, allow me a short introduction to “on-the-move” living.  

The branches of military service seem to take delight in shifting their inductees about every two years.   What that means to a home dweller is that when you get everything in place within your walls, make some good friends, know where most of the items are in your local grocery store and your physician actually recognizes you from your last appointment, and you have met many of your neighbors, IT’S TIME TO MOVE.

I’m chuckling as I write this and you may think I’m exaggerating, but it’s so close to the truth, it isn’t funny.   Where we currently live (notice I said currently), I had transplanted a large bush in the yard in front of the house.    A few weeks later I was outside taking an inventory-style look at my work.   This newly planted bush was sagging and looked very unhappy.   A neighbor appeared and made an incredible insightful observation.   She said that the bush looked dead.   I began to laugh out loud and responded that it wasn’t dead, it had been transplanted just a couple of weeks earlier and it was adjusting to its new environment.

People who have recently moved to a new location can sometimes look very tired, wilted and sagging in places.   Yes, we’ve all heard the phrase “bloom where you’re planted.”   But an ingredient in that phrase doesn’t discuss the pain of transition when your physical and emotional roots are torn away from one home location and planted in another. 

For people who know the number of “moving transitions” we have made, they would be the first to tell you that we owe them all a new address book.   But let me just say this:   we are experienced movers and ‘adjusting’ is our middle name.

However, this one move that we were anticipating to make, due to my husband’s work, was from Washington State to Southern California.    I will be quick to add that in all of our moves, we have never had a company or a mission pay for our moving.  

Yes, we are the ones you see bobbing up and down in those big yellow trucks on the highways and byways.   We’re not interested in the stock market, but if we were, we should have bought stock in Hertz Penske or U-Haul years ago.

One evening my husband invited me to sit down so we could talk.   From experience, I interpreted that to mean, this is going to be an important discussion.   The topic was our upcoming transition (notice I didn’t use the word ‘move’) to California.  

He was crafting together nice phrases prior to the release of his well-intentioned suggestion. “Let’s sell everything in the house, that way we won’t have the expense of moving it.”   I’m going to pause right now………………….and let that sink into your thinking.

We had done this “selling of everything” once before, and I was not on board this time.  He honored my response, but ask me to pray about it.   I think my husband realized that only God would be able to bring me around to change my mind on this idea. 

Now you may be wondering, what did I decide?  Was I okay with selling all the furniture?   In a word….NO.  

Time passed and we put the house on the market for sale.  People were coming and going within the interior of our home, but there were no offers.    Then one day our realtor phoned to tell me someone wanted to come and view our home and take a video so that he could show his wife the home as she was located on the other side of the United States.   I agreed that it would be no problem, and I thought it was a great idea for his wife’s benefit.

          The time for viewing our home was set for the following day.   I knew the ropes of showing a home, everything neat, counters cleared, vacuum as needed, and all the lamps were in the “on” position with personal photographs were removed for visual clarity.   Whenever I have the house in this distinct order and look around, I think to myself…..”Yes, I’d like to live here.” 

The doorbell rang and I greeted the realtor and her client.   He was very polite and all geared up with a video camera.   I exited the back door so as not to be exposed to this ‘house on parade’ video event.  I went around the house to the front door step and just sat there.   Time passed and then I was invited back inside my home for the pleasantries of the goodbye, and thanks for showing us your home routine.

The realtor sensed that the client wanted to talk privately with me, so she went to her car.  The client and I sat on the front steps.   He must have shared that he just wanted to ask me questions about the house and there was no need for the realtor to stay.

You need to gain your composure for the next sentence or two.  The anticipated buyer remarked that he liked the home and thought his wife would enjoy it as well.   He indicated that he would be paying CASH!    As we were both Christians, and he asked me to pray about the bottom-line figure that we would be happy with as the selling price, and he and his wife would do the same.

I was quietly gasping for air on all this information when he made just one more inquiry.   That was:   “what are you going to do with all your furniture?”   That response required little thought.   We’re going to move it with us.  Dahhh!!!    His next comment brought my jaw to the cement.   “I’d like to buy everything in the house.”  W h a t???   What do you mean by everything?   He said all the furniture, lamps, computer, telephone, even some pictures.  

It seemed laughable, but I felt like God was wanting us to do this, but I had said no to my husband; so the bigger guns were in on this.  What would I say now?    I could hardly get my tongue around the word “yes.”    I couldn’t believe that it came out of my mouth.

After this verbal agreement, we had some laughs and lighter conversation.   He knew that my husband wasn’t home at the time, but wanted to talk with him further about our discussion.  Believe me, I wanted to talk about it too.

The prospective buyer was about to say goodbye when I invited him for dinner later in the evening, and he could speak with us both about his offer, or should I say offers.   We agreed on a time, and off he went.  Just before entering his car, I remember vividly him saying to me that he was serious about his cash offer and not to worry.  

Isn’t this just something the Lord would say to one of his children!!!!   He then handed me his business card.   My eyes fell immediately on the town….NAZARETH, PA.    Yes, the Lord’s ways are mysterious, and sometimes hilarious.

Within about thirty minutes I heard the garage door open and Mr. Husband was about to have the surprise of his life.    He usually would ask if anything was new.    NEW?!!    This time I asked him to be seated, and I told him that I had just received a cash offer for the house as well.  

Now it was time for his jaw to drop southward.  He couldn’t believe it.  Then I went into tears.   The tears were the seal of the deal, he knew this was no joke.

I proceeded to tell him about our new dinner plans and the need to pray about the amount we would sell the house for, and to discuss what furniture we would be willing to sell.   Now recalling back to the first few paragraphs about our discussion on whether to sell the furniture…….he couldn’t believe I said yes to this perfect stranger.   To be honest, I felt as though God used this man to approach me with the offer.

That afternoon we prayed about the amount we would be happy with.  We knew our bottom line price and yet we wanted to be fair with this man. 

I don’t even remember putting dinner together that afternoon.  This man arrived at our front door that evening, and from the moment he stepped in the door, conversation was as though we had been friends for years.   We talked about many things and towards the end of the evening; yes, I mean end of the evening, we finally got around to the price of the house and the furniture.  

When the amounts that each of us agreed to do the deal for the house were shared, unbelievably both we and the buyer came up with the “same financial figure.” 

Then the topic went to the furniture.   We all arose from the table to walk around the house and look at the items he wanted.   He wanted it ALL!     Yes, even the old grill outside.   The only things we took were what was in the cupboards and our clothes.   I think he’d have bought the dog and cat if they were available.

By now, are you gasping for air?  This is a true story and my heart is rejoicing again in what God did and how He orchestrated all of these events.   The buyer and his wife were thrilled, and my husband and I were beyond happy.    

A month or so later, this family moved from Pennsylvania into our home.    Within weeks my husband was out of the country, and knowing about his trip away, they asked me for dinner one evening.    While on the telephone, I inquired as to how they were settling in.   They were in and settled in less than two weeks.    We all laughed because they shared that they left the furniture in the exact location as I had placed it, so all they and their children had to do was put their clothes away, and place food and dishes in the cupboards.  They shared that it was the easiest move they’d ever made.  Well I should say so.

When this prearranged evening arrived and I entered my “former dwelling place” I could hardly hold back the tears.   Memories we had built in that home were flooding my heart.  They even took me around to show me the place, as if I required a tour.  

It was a process of releasing what we had enjoyed to another family to continue building memories of their own and to enjoy the provision of the Lord.

Lesson here for me:   we really don’t own what’s in our homes, we are just the caretakers of what the Lord has allowed us to enjoy and use for Him.