What we get versus what we deserve (Part 1)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… –1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV)

In summer 1990, I left my hometown of Mesquite, Texas for a job opportunity with a large retail outfit in Northwest Arkansas. The real estate market in the Dallas area was very depressed at the time. The value of the little starter home where my wife and I were living had actually depreciated in the five years we lived there. We owed more on our note than the market value of the property. I thought we should take the job and make the move – the company was solid, the job was promising, the area seemed wholesome, we had a two-year-old and were planning for more kids. But I couldn’t see a way past the house situation.

Then a possibility opened up. We could sell the house on an assumption. For those that may not know, assuming someone else’s unfavorable loan is what one does when their own credit history does not allow them to qualify for their own loan with better terms. The buyer takes up payments and their name goes on the mortgage along with yours. You are essentially co-signing what is now their loan. If all goes well, they build their credit history while you get on with your life. The young couple we sold to seemed legit, just going through a rough patch (car accident, medical bills, etc.) where they had gotten behind on some bills. They both had jobs. It seemed like a good risk, so we did the deal and kept our fingers crossed.

They never made a single payment. About ten months after beginning my job in Arkansas, I received a certified letter from the mortgage company advising me that I could stop foreclosure proceedings if I could catch up all back payments and interest in the next thirty days. Otherwise, my house would be auctioned off on the steps of the Dallas County courthouse.

I had never seen myself as someone who would default on a mortgage. I took a quick trip to Texas to talk with the lender. My options with the mortgage company were pretty much what had been laid out in the letter. I went to inspect the property to see if it was even worth pursuing. I could not afford to catch the loan up, and I certainly could not afford rent in Arkansas and a mortgage in Texas for a home I wasn’t living in. But if the place was in decent shape, perhaps I could re-negotiate terms and put the house back on the market. Another risk, and I’d probably take a bath, but my name, reputation, and credit score might be salvaged.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ… –Philippians 3:8 (ESV)

(Note: This is Part 1 of a two-part special edition Convoy message for Resurrection weekend, 2021. Part 2 can be read here.)