McKnight Acres

When my son Karl was ten years old, he asked me if we could invest in some real estate. I asked him why. He said he had always wanted to be a businessman and own property. He also said, “Mom, I want to live in a nice neighborhood like my friends. I don’t like it here.”

I must admit that it would be great if we could live in a nice neighborhood where there were no drugs or gangs. But, as I explained to Karl, we were poor and lived on government assistance. Karl was disappointed but did not say anything. Then he said, “I am going to pray about it.” “That sounds good,” I replied.


Every year after that, Karl asked me again if we could buy some property. I said “no.” I really thought the dream of owning a home was for other people. I saw myself as someone who did not deserve such luxury.

When Karl had gone back to school, he was three semesters behind his fellow students, but by some miracle he managed to graduate with his class on the honor roll. He then went to college on a scholarship. He ended up graduating with the MBA that he has always wanted.

Because he had gotten in so much trouble as a teenager, Karl had a hard time finding a job. But eventually he took the test to become a real estate broker and passed. He also set up a business as a legal assistant to help people who could not afford a lawyer. I was really proud of him for his efforts to help the poor. Eventually, the subject of buying a home came up again. At this point, I was finally ready to believe that we deserved a home and that God could make it work. The problem is that Karl and I both had bad credit.

Despite this, after tons of paperwork, we were poised to get a loan. It all came down to my income. I barely had enough. Two weeks later, before the loan came through, I lost my job.

The day Karl was to get the loan, the mortgage company called and said we could have the loan as soon as they checked with my employer. I said a quick prayer and suddenly heard myself saying, “It’s Friday and we have been waiting so long. Can you go ahead and just give us the loan so we don’t have to worry all weekend.”

The mortgage broker said, “I will have to talk to my supervisor.” He left and I said a prayer: “Thy will be done.”

About ten minutes later, the man on the phone came back and said, “How soon can you come sign the papers? You have just gotten a loan and now you can go buy a house.” My heart leaped and I thanked God.

A month later, Karl found a house. I asked Karl, “how do you know this is the right house?” Karl said, “After all we have been through, God will not let us down now.” So, we bought the house. It is beautiful and a wonderful gift from God.


A week later, Karl hired someone to landscape our new home. His name was John. We were now living in an upscale part of town, and everyone had beautiful yards.

The landscaper was a nice guy. He asked Karl what his name was, and Karl replied, “My name is Karl McKnight.” Then John said, “That is very interesting. Did you know you are now living in McKnight Acres?” Karl bowed his head and turned to me and said, “Mom, God has given us this house, and a sign that it is the right house. Isn’t God wonderful!” “Yes,” I replied, tears running down my face.

Today, Karl lives in his new home and takes care of my sister. I am still writing and someday Karl will take care of me. Karl has come a long way. But his dreams came true because he had faith in God.