Going Home

from Grandma Stories: God’s Little Miracles by LDMahan

There once was a family who didn’t have a home.  They had lived in an apartment.  They had lived in a trailer.  They had lived in one room of somebody else’s house. They had moved thirteen times and lived in seven different cities.  Would you like to live in all those places?  They had seen Boston, Beverly and South Hamilton, Massachusetts.  They had been in Dallas, McAllen, San Antonio and Austin, Texas.  This family really had had a lot of adventures!

The four children of this family were aged twelve, nine, four and two years old, and they really wanted to have a home.  The mother was especially tired and really prayed to God for a home of her own.  Finally, even the dad got tired of moving and they began to look for a house.  The boy wanted a basketball hoop.  The younger girls wanted a trampoline.  The big sister wanted a room of her own.  And the mom wanted a big open kitchen.  They looked and looked, but nothing they could afford was big enough. 

One day while they were in the middle of supper, the phone rang.  It was their real estate agent.  A real estate agent is the person who helps you buy a house.

“Yes. Yes!  We’ll be right there,” said the father.  He hung up the phone and all the kids were herded into the family car for a quick drive across town to see a house that had just become available.  No one put the food away.  No one even looked for their shoes! 

The mom and dad raced across town and arrived at the house just before dark.  That was good, because the lights were turned off in the house and in a few more minutes they couldn’t have seen anything.  But what they did see got them all very excited. 

A big open living room, an extra living/dining area, and four bedrooms – the parent’s bedroom with a large mirror, vanity and bathroom.  The main bathroom had two sinks and a full-wall mirror!  And best of all for the mom – there was a huge kitchen with plenty of room for people to sit around and eat, cook and talk!  Walk-in closets!  A giant-sized yard with trees for hanging swings, a driveway for putting up a basketball hoop, and plenty of room for a trampoline or for playing Frisbee.

The mom and dad made their decision within twenty minutes and got right back in the car to meet the realtor.  That evening, before eleven pm, they had sent a contract and money to the seller of the house, telling them they wanted to buy it.

Now, you may not know it, but buying a house is not easy, even after you find the right one.  Getting through the process is like surviving an obstacle course—if you fall down along the way, too bad, but it you make it over all the hurdles—you get the house of your dreams!

The parents prayed—and the seller decided to choose them over another person who made an offer on the house.  They prayed some more—and the paperwork which had gotten lost was found.  More problems and more paperwork went flying back and forth. 

Finally, nothing happened for several weeks.  The mom had a bad feeling about this.  She drove to the front yard of “her” new house.  She committed this purchase to God.  She asked Him to open the doors that were closed and make a way for her family to have this house—which seemed to be standing there sadly, waiting for them to move in.  She asked His light to come in where there was any darkness.  She finally felt better and went home.

The day arrived for signing the final papers.  The appointment had already been cancelled and rescheduled several times, and the parents’ nerves were on edge. The purchase was taking so long that the family had had to move in with another family and put their things in storage.  What a hassle!  The closing time got closer and closer … 2 pm, … 2:30, … 3 pm, … 3:25.

At 3: 25 their real estate agent walked into the closing office carrying a house plant and wearing a big smile.  Five minutes before, she had just saved the deal from disaster due to yet another last-minute glitch.  Oh my!  The parents gratefully signed the papers and moved the family into their dream house. 

This family learned one more time that, even though their own efforts could not get them what they needed, “With God all things are possible.”