Open Houses

July 1, 2014

by — Posted in Life at Home

I think we’ve concluded that with a 1 for 3 record, open houses may not be doing the trick. We’ve had 3 so far, and only 1 of them actually had any visitors. It’s a lot of work for not a lot of benefit. (To be fair, showings haven’t done the trick yet either.) Honestly, if someone’s really interested, they will most likely just schedule a regular showing. At least then you know that they’re coming… or that they’re most likely coming.

(There have been 2 no-show showings so far of the 10+ we’ve had. Who does that? Even if you fell in love with house, isn’t it worth it to make sure there aren’t any others you’d love too? I mean, what do you have to lose?)

It’s growing ever more discouraging, but we’re trying to be patient and leave it in God’s capable hands and be positive. Sunday, our typically contemporary worship included “It is well.” I’m trying to cling to that.

Today when Avie woke up crying from her nap and simply sat in my lap in the rocker for a good 15 minutes, I was reminded of this verse that I have held on to since I discovered it in college:

But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.  Psalm 131:2 ESV

The Message just says, “like a baby content in its mother’s arms,” but I think it misses a very important point here. Weaned. I read it once explained like this. The weaned child does not any longer depend on her mother for sustenance. She no longer derives physical fulfillment from this relationship the way she did when she was nursing. But, she still takes pleasure and finds contentment from the mother, even when deprived of something that was once so essential to life. It’s not without effort because she must learn to calm herself, but she is content to simply be with her mother.

How I need to hear this again. To simply be in the presence of God without getting something from Him.

For now, I have calmed and quieted my soul to be in our current home. I call this home until it is not. I didn’t realize I would get to this point on Saturday when I redid my kitchen chalkboard for the vacant open house, but this is home.