A lesson learned from selling two homes

We had lived at our residence in Plano, Texas, for a decade when we decided to sell. It was then that all of those “little projects” I just never got around to stared us in the face.

Thankfully, a small but generous, hard-working crew from Resurrection Lutheran Church, helped us make necessary repairs and upgrades.

In two months all of that work paid off. The house sold and for the listed price. This was such a great blessing. At that time it was a buyer’s market. On our street alone there must have been a dozen for sale signs on the front lawns.

After securing the sale we began the process of packing. Near the end of this I remembered we had a small birdhouse that needed to come with us. So, I took it down from outside and carefully placed it into a box with some other things.

It was a treasure. Our daughter, Naomi, had made it. She painted it pink and yellow and even added a touch of glitter. We hung it just outside of the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard. Naomi said that there were no birds in there for five years. However, in the six year, a pair of house wrens claimed it as their own. We suspected that members of this particular family of wrens came back every spring.

In the process of packing I entered the garage. Its large door to the outside world was wide open. In the garage I encountered a pair of noisy house wrens.

At first, I ignored them and went about my business. However, after a while, their strange and persistent behavior became alarming to me. The male was especially agitated. It became quite clear to me that they wanted to get my attention.

Finally, I put two and two together. They had migrated back to Plano and found their home missing. So, I returned the birdhouse to its place. Sure enough, a few minutes later, they entered their glittery pink and yellow nest and immediately stopped squawking.

The ideal home is a place where we can feel safe and secure. If this should ever be taken away, we would quite naturally become distressed.

God has made a home for us here. God has also secured a place for us after this time. Rest assured of this. No need to squawk about it.

Walter is pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church and has served as parish pastor for more than 25 years.