Home by Sandy McMath

Years ago we lived in Miami, Florida. While my husband, John, explored job opportunities out of state, I learned we would be expecting our third son. So we decided to move to a larger home more suitable for our growing family. Soon we had a contract on our house and bought another. But the deal on the first house fell through, leaving us with two house payments for six long months!

After finally selling the house, we decided to vacation with our families. Then John got a call. A rapid transit operation offered him a job he had not applied for! So much for rest. John accepted. Soon we would move again, this time to Atlanta, Georgia.

We listed the house with the same realtor, who knew us well by then. We prayed that God would help us, and He showed up BIG! We listed, sold, and closed in 30 days...for our asking price...paid in cash!

Now fast-forward 12 years. I believed the time had come to move again. But John was adamant---We will not own two houses at the same time! Everything must be conditioned on us first selling our current home. In my normal bossy self, I fully intended to change his mind. But I couldn't.

Months passed. No one agreed to our condition. So I prayed, "Lord, change his mind! I want to move before my son's senior year. No one is ever going to agree to this. Lord, pleeeease change his mind!" It was my best "sell" job and pleading for His favor. But I didn't expect God's response.

Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord (Colossians 3:18). What? Really? In my spirit I heard, "Honor John's wishes," but declined to obey. We'll never get a house! Yet the more I prayed, the more certain I was that submitting was the answer to my prayer.

Begrudgingly I told John I would stop trying to convince him to follow me. We would wait for the right place according to his wishes. And if nothing happened by our son's senior year, we would not move.

Nothing happened all summer. So we headed out for vacation. (See a trend?) Mid-week, my girlfriend called, "I've found the perfect house!" Yeah, sure. I called the sellers, Ernie and Laura, told them we were interested, and on our return, we drove by. Not bad. The next day we went for a walk through. Oh, Lord, what have you done? It's perfect!!!

Before leaving, I told Laura we would pray about the house. I casually mentioned that my Ladies Bible Study (a group of 600 women) was studying Genesis 24 on how to know you are doing God's will. When I mentioned where we met, she exclaimed, "I'm in that class, too!" Seriously, Lord?

While my mouth was hanging open, Ernie mentioned to John that they were moving to downsize and wanted a neighborhood with younger children. John casually remarked, "You should look in our neighborhood, that's who is moving into it." Really, Father?

The next day, the four of us held hands in our den and prayed for God's blessings...on our HOUSE SWAP. You heard me, we swapped houses! No conditions. No owning two houses. The perfect house for me. And all in 5 days before my son began his senior year!