In my left hand, I held a vase of orchids, gifted to me by my real estate agent. In my right hand, I held the key to the front door she handed me. I inserted the key, turned it, and entered our new house. For twenty-five years, we lived in the same home. It was the home that my wife and I purchased together. We raised two children to adulthood. It was time to downsize and we bought a new home and made plans to sell our current home.

When does a house become a home?

I pondered this question as I reflected upon the day we made an offer on our first house. It was a brand new house, built in a planned community and thus we had no agent representing us. The seller’s agent informed us that we needed to come in on Sunday morning by 10 AM if we wanted to secure the deal. There was another family that was also eager to purchase the home. My wife and I did not hesitate when we answered, “We’re sorry, we are Christians and we need to attend our church service. If we lose the deal, it was not meant to be.” The agent hesitated for a second, seemingly flustered. “Oh my. I should be going to church as well. Tell you what, I will hold this deal for you if you can come in by noon on Sunday.” We agreed and we signed the contract after attending church. We honored God and He blessed us. 

With this new house, God once again intervened. The seller’s agent met with us and we immediately bonded. We enlisted the services of an agent and made an offer. At the same time as our offer, another family made an identical offer but the seller and his agent chose our offer and we entered escrow. Although escrow did not go as smoothly as we hoped, we finally closed. After the day of closing, I went to our new house and the seller’s agent was there. I profusely thanked him for navigating a very challenging escrow. He admitted it was the most difficult he had experienced in his over thirty years as a real estate agent. With the skill of a seasoned diplomat, he convinced the seller to work with us and our agent to close the deal. As I shook his hand, he beamed, “We’re both Christians. We need to support one another.” I smiled and nodded. I knew that he was a Christian. I later learned the seller is a Christian, the escrow officer he chose is a Christian and our loan officer is a Christian. God’s presence embraced this entire transaction. God blessed us once again. 

For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God. 

Hebrews 3:4 (NLT)

With both houses, God’s providence was at work. He immediately confirmed that our former house would become a home. I am certain that our new house will also become a home. 

When does a house become a home?

When God blesses it and builds it!

Amen!

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.