Article December 24, 2001 Issue

A place to live

By Carrie T. Becker

Have You Ever Yearned for a place to live? I have. One evening, as I was driving down a tree-lined street that shaded stately homes, tears streamed down my face. We had just sold our home because my husband had been laid off from his job two years earlier and had not been able to find another in the same salary range. In addition, we had not been able to find an affordable house to move into. As I continued driving through a more modest neighborhood, I asked God if there wasn't one little house somewhere for us.

I thought of Joseph in the Bible, whose plight is described in the book of Genesis. He was thrown into a pit, sold into Egyptian slavery, and then imprisoned. I'm sure he longed to be in his father's home back in Canaan. But God had other plans for him. Joseph was eventually given a position of authority, which enabled him to save Egypt from starvation, as well as his own countrymen and family.

I was sure I'd never have to face the harsh challenges that Joseph faced, but that evening I realized I needed to stop thinking that the house we were leaving was the only place where we could be happy. I decided to completely trust that God would lead us to a home that would still give us opportunities to be happy.