We successfully closed on the sale of our home today. It was definitely a bittersweet transition. We have been blessed in that house.
I wanted our buyers to know what a blessing they are and what a happy life we have led there, so I wrote them this letter. Some of you have already heard it if you came to my LATTE talk, but I hope you will be blessed to read it again.
April 8, 2013
Dear Mr. and Mrs.,
Congratulations and welcome to your new home! We are thrilled to be handing over the keys to such a nice couple and hope you will be happy here for many years, as we have been.
You are, quite literally, an answer to prayer. We have prayed for you for three years now—since our second child was born and we knew we would eventually need to move into a different house.
This house has meant a lot to us. It has become a part of our family. We were a lot like you when we bought this house in 2006—young and newly-married with a puppy on the way. We started our lives in this home, and it’s not easy to leave, though we know God is calling us elsewhere. (Isaiah 6:8, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me.’”)
We learned how to be married in this house. We have fought here. We have loved here. We have celebrated here. We have sought God’s will in our marriage from this dining room. (Song of Solomon 6:3, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”)
We learned of our children’s lives in this house. We praised God for them in this house. We prayed for them in this house. We brought our children home from the hospital to this house. (1 Samuel 1:27, “I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted to me what I asked of him.”)
I nursed my babies in this house, looking out the window into the yard. I rocked them in the middle of the night. I urged them to crawl to mama on this floor. (Titus 2:4-5, “Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”) My husband made late-night runs to Cub down the street on Lexington (which is 24 hours, by the way—Walgreens is NOT!) for Tylenol, milk or diapers. He taught them to take their first steps in this living room. (Titus 2:7-8, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned.”)
We have suffered trauma and pain while living in this house. We have grieved losses in this house. But God’s hand has been here to provide and comfort us in this house. He has never wavered. (Job 1:21, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”)
We have been happy here. We have been blessed here. (Psalm 103:22, “Bless the LORD, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!”)
In all things, never forget to pray. Pray together. Pray while you’re doing the dishes. Pray while you’re changing diapers or letting the dog out. Pray while you do laundry. Pray when you argue. Pray! It is no exaggeration that God will answer your prayers. He has answered ours in you. (Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”)
Many sweet blessings to you, Mr. and Mrs., as you start this leg of your journey together.
Psalm 103:2, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits.”
Sincerely,
Erin and Richard
