Cheung 2022-08
In a ‘blink’, I have worked as a real estate agent for over 20 years. Although this job didn’t give me a prestigious title or a profession that people admired and respected, I liked it because I could control my working hours. I also love real estate investments and helping others find the right place to their liking as home.
My husband and I were both at retirement age. We were self-employed with no long-term pension but only a tiny portion of the RRSP we had saved over the past few decades. We spend most of our income on our children. As a result, we want to earn more for our later years.
During three years of this pandemic, humans were too limited, thinking that we were knowledgeable and things were within our control. However, with this century’s plague, our happiness could vanish in no time, and something that once was under our control could become helpless and unbearable.
This pandemic is a big curse to the entire human race. I am thankful to know God and the Lord Jesus Christ. When I felt helpless, worried, frightened, and afraid, I learned to rely on God and seek God’s help and guidance. The Bible teaches us in Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” God has made this pandemic a blessing in my life.
Amid the many quarantine protocols imposed by the government, I have had unprecedented quietness and personal times. Since everyone was staying at home, when I had no other choices, I took the time trying to read the entire bible once. As of today, I have read the whole bible three times.
In the past, the bible to me was just some intermittent knowledge in my mind. But after a series of readings of God’s words over the past few years, I couldn’t help but say, “God, you are so great and amazing; your power surpasses the heavens; your wisdom is all over the firmament, and your love for each of us is so much.” So I will spend the rest of my life experiencing God’s power, seeking His wisdom, and responding to God’s great love for me by telling others how God loves me, how He helps me, and the people I will meet.
I had a desire in my heart to prioritize everything that pleased God and put work second. My husband and I have led the church group caring for others in the past year or two. We have also kept the interior of our house and the front and back yard in good order. We cared more about our relatives, brothers and sisters, and neighbors and rebuilding some broken or incomplete family relationships. We maintained good health by exercising more and taking more rest. As a result, we had almost no time to do our real estate work, and our income plummeted. But I trusted that God’s promises would not fail. As the Bible says: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33) I did not ask God for a wealthy life but to have sufficient food and use.
Our income for half a year was only a few thousand dollars which could not cover the expenses. But I trusted that God, the creator of all things, in Him nothing is impossible. So, I was full of confidence and continued to walk the way I was supposed to, by focusing on the Lord and leaving the world behind. Although it was great to say, it would be impossible to have such confidence and support throughout the process if it did not rely on God and His power.
Several months have passed. I was looking forward to seeing supplies of specific pre-sale construction properties, as I had a few clients interested in such units. One evening, my boss told me there would be such a type of property for sale the next day. The location was ideal, and the price was also very suitable. That evening, I made an appointment with the real estate representative and obtained the first appointment slot. The next day, I brought in my few clients to see that pre-construction site. To my surprise, they all made purchases, and I accomplished a year’s worth of business in just one day. Nothing like this happened since I had been in the real estate business for over 20 years.
How could this happen if it was not by the grace of God? Was it just a coincidence or fortune? It was impossible not to speak of God’s power and grace. My husband and I had experienced yet another miracle of God in our lives.
Around mid-May of this year, the real estate market slumped sharply as the federal government raised interest rates. As a result, it dropped between 20% and 30%, and the market was also tranquil. Although many properties listings at a reduced price, they were still stranded.
I had a client looking to sell one of his properties. I told him that I would try my best to help him look at the market’s response by starting with a high price, and if it couldn’t sell within two weeks, I would lower the asking between $20K and $30K. On the first evening of the listing, we received an offer. There were a few thousand differences, but we completed the transaction quickly. It was unimaginable under such a market condition. I had to say that it was yet another miracle!
During my real estate career, the busiest time of the week was Saturdays and Sundays. Every weekend, we were either busy taking clients visiting real estate properties or doing open houses. But when I saw how God values the Sabbath in the Old Testament in the Bible, He wants us to have enough rest and have family time, devote ourselves to worship God, be spiritually nourished, and foster our relationship with Him. So I started to make Sundays a non-working day a few years ago.
It was challenging initially because most clients could only visit properties on Saturdays and Sundays, and those were the two days for the open house schedule. However, if you do only Saturdays, the workload gets cut by half, equivalent to cutting your income by half!
But looking back at the past few years, although there was no work on Sundays, our annual income remained almost the same. The most significant benefit was that I could concentrate on spending time with my family and attending church for worship. In addition, my husband and the children felt that we spent more time together, our relationship deepened, and we had more opportunities to communicate. If I compare the lost business with these sweet rewards, God has blessed me with more than I could have imagined and asked.
Many thanks to Toronto Chinese Christian Short Term Mission Training Centre for this opportunity to witness all the graces that God has given me. If I didn’t take this opportunity to look back, ponder over, and reflect on all the bits and pieces of the past, I might not have realized God’s excellent plan for me. God granted me a lot of time, patience, and love.
God molded me from a real estate agent who only knew how to fight hard for all my earnings into someone who relied on God and gave thanks to Him. I had learned that when I offered my little loss to God, God showed me great blessings in return by God’s grace, mercy, and unconditional love.
Let’s come and give in a bit for God to see what He can do in our lives with His power and blessings.
Luke 9:23 “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
“What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? “ Psalm 8:4
God, You are the God who deserves all worship, honor, and glory. Amen.