The blessings of home despite a difficult housing market

Our for-sale sign went up in the front yard just as the real estate market tanked. Unemployment was nearing 10 percent. People were literally walking away from homes they couldn’t sell. My wife and I found comfort in turning to God’s ever-presence during the difficult trials that followed our decision to sell the home we’d lived in for three decades and move to a retirement community.

The Bible promises that even in the worst of times, God’s love for us can never be shaken or leave us wanting. No matter how hateful or hard our problems, our Maker’s rule of harmony whispers, All is well.

In spite of a great locust plague, the prophet Joel saw a blessing that would come, and he urged the Israelites to rejoice in the Lord: “And [God] will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten ... ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you” (Joel 2:25, 26).

These biblical promises bolstered our courage. And we prayed ardently to prove Mary Baker Eddy’s striking revelation in Christian Science that “divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 494).

We went ahead with the plan, deeply believing that our empty-nest move was God-directed. We prayed to see that all that was going on in the housing market could not impede divine Love’s provision. We didn’t have to suggest outcomes or timetables, knowing our heavenly Father would meet our needs in His way and in His time. No prompting was needed. Eventually, our trustful prayers would show that the clearest vision of Truth can often come during testing times.

Despite its greatly reduced price, our house took more than a year to sell. Then we had to finance our move and buy into our new living quarters, blowing a big hole in our IRA savings. This meant more taxable withdrawals. The glum prospect loomed that after all this, we might not be able to afford to live in our new home.

Keeping our thought fixed on God’s promised care, we could only marvel during the months ahead at how completely everyone’s needs were being met. The young family who bought our house at a deeply depressed price enjoyed a home they couldn’t have afforded a year earlier. Our new landlords, buffeted by the same economic winds, found ways to make our new home affordable. With an improving economy, in time, the stock market rose to record highs, restoring most of the lost value of our depleted IRA savings.

The “locusts” were gone, and the blessing did appear.

As children of God, made in His image and likeness (see Genesis 1:26, 27), we enjoy great plenty, and reflect nothing underived from him. This great spiritual truth reaches out to all the dear ones elsewhere in the world where the needs appear great. Divine Love exempts no one from its care.

Spiritual riches remain durable and available to all. All good comes from its divine source, and God’s blessings are not just for rainy days. They are new every morning, and there is more than enough for everyone. The book of Proverbs says, “I [will] cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures” (8:21).

God’s affluence is eternal. And in the spiritual realm of the real, you cannot have too much of a good thing.