Residential real estate usually doesn’t make the news. But news agencies around the globe made an exception for a completely unexceptional house. It’s a two-story home for sale in Deerfield, IL, for what seems to be a very reasonable price – $270,000. That’s pretty cheap for a house in an upscale neighborhood like Deerfield.
But if you’re thinking of purchasing this home, beware of buying it sight unseen. And don’t depend on photos alone, especially if they only let you view the front and back of the house.
Why all this caution? It’s because this house is little more than a motion picture prop. From the front, it looks like a normal two-story house. But from the side it looks to be only three or four feet wide. Oh, it widens to about 10 to 12 feet at the opposite end. But that’s it. As someone commented on TikTok, “That’s not a house, that’s a hallway.”
You see, the original owner purchased the lot for a low price, because its shape was like a thin sliver of pie. So when he built a house on the lot, it was limited by the lot’s dimensions. Yet, despite its lack of depth, this house boasts of 1,122 square feet and includes two bedrooms and two and a half baths. One of the bedrooms and one of the baths, however, is in the finished basement.
According to one article that reported this story, those who’ve actually viewed this home came away feeling “upset.” It wasn’t at all what they envisioned or dreamed of. And they most certainly didn’t want to live there.
This “skinny house,” or “pie-house” reminds me of the many allures with which Satan tempts us. Too often the devil convinces us we’d be better off with a different spouse or happier with a different life. He tempts us to abandon our family responsibilities and to chase after something new.
But this “something new” is not real. It’s little more than a movie prop. If the devil tempts us to run after a different spouse, that person will not be what we thought. Like the skinny house, they only appeared to be better. When you actually “move it,” then you’ll find what they’re really like – shallow, oppressive, and unfulfilling. Far worse, you’ll realize what a great thing you had with your old spouse, family, and life.
Please don’t listen to the devil’s lies. Trust that God led you to the right person and the right life the first time. Learn the priceless skill of contentment. “Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you’” (Hebrews 13:4-5).
PRAYER: Dear Father in heaven, please open my eyes to the blessings I have in the spouse, children, possessions, and life You’ve given me. Help me to realize how good my current station in life is. Please grant, O Lord, that I will not to be consumed by envy and greed. Help me, O God, to be content with what I have and to always give You thanks. Amen.
(Information from: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/skinny-house-sale-puzzling-viewers-22490194; https://photos.riverfronttimes.com/this-skinny-house-in-illinois-is-going-viral-on-social-media-photos/?slide=4&skinny-04)
