One man’s gain is another man’s loss

We recently sold our house in Detroit.  It was a grueling process that started back in April of 2009, we saw two buyers fall through as a result of the bank making the sale almost impossible.  I would probably be more excited, but we had to short-sale the property and the eventual buyer bought the house for less than half of what I paid for it 8 years ago.  To add insult to injury, the bank insisted that we pay $10,000 cash to close the deal.  I guess loosing all the value in your home, messing up your credit for two-four years, and spending excess cash to sure up a sale wasn’t enough for the bank, they wanted to make sure they made every last penny on my $60,000 loss.

I spent the morning of the closing in anxiety, fearing that I would get a phone call requiring me to cough up more money.  When I finally got the phone call from my agent in Detroit that everything was completed I was left with mixed emotions.  It was the final thing that connected me to my birthplace, and now that was gone.  It also marked the first time that someone in my family hasn’t lived in the area for 45 years.  This area is where my daughters were born, where I was born, where my father died, alot of my memories in life come from the Downriver Detroit area.

My agent praised me for having everything organized and well prepared.  From the house to the final paperwork, Mariah and I focused on doing everything we could to make sure it was smooth and easy for everyone involved, especially the new buyer.  We knew that even though we were getting the short end of the deal, there was someone else on the other end that would be making family memories in that house.  We wanted to do what we could to make that process easy for them.  The last thing my agent said to me was that the couple who bought the house we so giddy and excited, it was there first house and they couldn’t wait to leave the room and rush over to move in new furniture.

One man’s loss is another man’s gain.  Every job that is lost here in America and sent overseas is an answer to prayer for a man in that foreign country whose family has lived in poverty for generations.  Its hard to look at the big picture when the hardship stings, but God is at work and in control, and this is where faith and the Christian worldview really have to put in play.  My loss in Detroit is a blessing for another young family.  I know in the end God has this all under control, I just need to walk by faith and rest in His providence.  In two years, when we move into a new home that we buy, we’ll be a little more grateful for the will of God in our life, and hopefully we’ll remember to shoot up a prayer for someone in the process that lost money in the deal!