I sold a home to a very interesting man who happened to be a local minister. We’ll call him James. James and I had a very good relationship. My father is a Baptist minister and a Bible Professor, so I grew up in church and I am also a Christian. So we had some long interesting conversations about growing up in a church and some funny experiences. At times, he would get a little off on a limb and talk about some strange stuff. So when he came in one day with one of the most outrageous request I’ve ever heard, I will never forget this as long as I live.
“Come on in James. How are you today?” I asked.
“I’m great, thanks, but I need to have a serious talk with you.” he said pointedly.
This was different. Usually when people said they need to have a serious conversation with me, something was wrong with their home or they were going to cancel their contract. So I steadied myself for the impending bad news.
“Talk to me James. What’s bothering you?” I asked him, looking at him perplexed.
“Well, you know that I talk to the Lord. The Lord has been talking to me about this house and about your company” he says.
I’m trying to figure out if he’s kidding or if he’s serious at this point. Then he starts to wipe his brow and I realize that he’s completely serious.
“God told me that your company has got plenty of money and that you need to give me some of it. God says that I deserve to have some free stuff.” he stated matter of factly.
We sat there in awkward silence staring at each other, while I tried to figure out what to say. I had to handle this gently because he was very passionate about what the Lord told him. So after about a minute of staring each other down, I said, “Well, you know that I speak to the Lord as well… and God told me that you ain’t getting jack.”
After about five long seconds, we both just stared at each other and then just howled with laughter for at least 15 minutes. The Lord works in mysterious ways and sometimes you can’t always get what you want. Thou shalt not covet thy new home builder’s money.
