The Story and Gift of our Home

We found out in October that we would be moving to the Virginia Beach area, stationed there probably for three years.  Immediately we began a search for the perfect place to live.  We spent hours on the internet looking at houses.  My brother-in-law connected us with a realtor in the area and we started receiving updates as new homes went on the market that met our criteria.  It was rather discouraging.  Prices were higher than we were accustomed to, the homes had small yards, many were a long commute to Bradley’s work, and nothing really jumped out at us.

Except this house that that had no interior pictures with the listing.  I loved the charm of the white picket fence, the large porch, and the huge hydrangea bushes that were in bloom in the picture.  I kept coming back and looking at the photos, hopeful the inside would be just as charming as the outside.  Finally, they updated the listing and we were a bit disappointed.  It was a little different.  They had obviously updated the home, but let’s just say that got a little creative and tried to maximize every nook and cranny.

We didn’t put it on our list to see when we finally went house hunting right after Christmas.  We drove into town on a Sunday morning to meet up with our realtor and arrived early enough to drive around town to narrow down our list.  And that’s when I spotted it:  the charming house with the strange interior.  It was still for sale and it still wasn’t on our list.  The neighborhood looked pretty decent (it’s hit or miss up here) and so we asked our realtor if we could squeeze this one into our hunt.  Sure enough, we were able to walk through.

As we were falling in love with this home on our walk through, our realtor received a call from the listing agent that it was under contract.  We were SO disappointed!  It really seemed like such a perfect fit.  Close to work, big yard, good school nearby, enough space for our family, charm, already updated.  Oh well.  We continued our search, and I even put an offer on a home the following week without Bradley having seen it.

After we submitted that first offer I was a nervous wreck, hopeful they wouldn’t accept our offer.  Thankfully, they countered and we didn’t like the terms.  I was so relieved!  House buying tip #1:  Don’t try to buy a home if you hope you won’t get it.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the charming house that was under contract.  Our realtor said we could put in a back-up offer on that home, just in case something fell through with the first contract.  With a lot of hope and trusting in whatever the Lord would do, we placed an offer on this home and waited.

About ten days later, we received a call saying that our offer had been accepted.  We were ecstatic!  Still to this day we’re not really sure what happened that enabled us to get this home.  So, I love being able to just revel in the extreme kindness of the Lord.

I never thought I would be interested in a home like this one.  It was built in 1948, the walls are made of plaster, the floors are uneven in places, the kitchen is galley style, we have a claw foot tub and a dining room that used to be a long narrow porch.

In so many ways this home is perfect for our family.  I still can’t stop pinching myself that we really live here.  Bradley’s commute to work is minimal.  I don’t have to deal with the congested highways in order to do what I need to everyday.  We are close enough to the water that we could walk if we wanted and we can hear the tugboats blowing their fog horns when the windows are open.

Would God have been good and kind even if we hadn’t gotten this home?  Absolutely!  He doesn’t change.  But sometimes He gives us these special gifts and it is up to us to rejoice no matter what and continue to trust Him, and to use those gifts to honor Him.  We keep thinking about the verse, “To whom much is given, much is required,” and it is truly our prayer that we would honor God with our home.