The Foundation

This is the introduction to a book I started writing a few years ago. At the present I am working a piece that is taking longer than I anticipated. However, I believe it will be relevant to many of our lives. I can't wait to share it with you! Till then, be challenged by this post.

Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones

Introduction: Each of us has experienced some really difficult times. I'm sure if we sat down together we could tell some stories. We could share tales of heartache and stories of triumph. We've each had some valleys to crawl through and some mountaintops to dance upon. We are being molded through what Christ is allowing into our lives. Every situation is an opportunity to know Him better and to grow to be more like Him. Unfortunately, we don't always wiew it this way. At times the pain is so great we cannot see past the circumstance to grasp the hope Christ has for us. Other times we are led astray by temptations that could have been used to teach us to trust God, and we miss the opportunity to grow as a believer.

As I have walked the road of my life through the divorce of my parents, have cancer as a teen, miscarraiges, and depression I am learning a very important truth. It is a truth that is vital to the success and freedom of the believer. The truth is this: every situation we encountaer as believers is a tool in the hand of Almighty God that can be used to benefit and mature us. Nothing happens by chance. No situation is hopeless. God is very aware of what is going on in our lives and has only our best interest in mind. At times it may seem God has forgotten us. At times it may even seem as if He doesn't care. But that couldn't be farter from the truth. We are His precious children. God invested much to save us and to claim us as His own. He has begun a wonderful work in our lives and will see it to completing. As you read this book you will be reminded of the grace of God in your own life. My hope is that you will also begin to see the hand of God working in every situation you encounter.

Jesus - The Cornerstone

"Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like the person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse, because it is built on rock. But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like the person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash." (Matthew 7:24-27 NLT)

A certain woman decided to build herself a house. She had lived in many structures and not one was to her liking. Some had ceilings that were too low. Others had too few bedrooms. She despised the views offered by each. And two of her precious homes had neighbors with loud, barking dogs. This woman knew what she wanted but could not find it anywhere. So, to rid herself of the frustration of looking for another home, the woman bought a beautiful plot of land and called her builder.

The woman met with the builder and they decided which features she would most appreciate in her new dwelling. Together they rode to the edge of town to see the coveted piece of land she had purchased. As they approached the homesite the builder became concerned. The woman had bought a piece of land with a magnificent view of the ocean. What the woman had failed to recognize was that the land had no solid building site on which to build her home. The builder told her such, but she was determined to continue with her home-building plans. Under much duress the builder agreed to build the home the woman so desired.

Months passed and the woman moved into her new house. She was very pleased with the craftsmanship of her new home. It was eveything she wanted. The ceilings were tall and majestic. She had plenty of bedrooms for her family and guests. All the amenities she desired were present in her new home. And, there were no barking dogs living next door. The woman went to decorating her beautiful, custom built home.

Winter soon came and the season proved to be very wet. Day in and day out rain beat at the roof and walls of the woman's home. She found refuge from the harsh weather curled up by the fireplace where she kept warm. One night as she sat reading in her bed the woman felt the house shift. "Strange," she thought to herself but kept reading. A few moments later the rain picked up and the house moved again. The woman reached for her phone and called her builder. "My house if moving! I'm afraid it is about to be swept straight out into the sea!" She exclaimed hysterically. "Ma'am," her builder replied, "we went over this. I warned you about the location, but you insisted on building your home there. There is nothing I can do to help you." The woman slammed the phone down frustrated with her builder, but even more frustrated with herself. "Why had I not listed to my builder? He told me to build on a more solid foundation, but I had to do it my way." Realizing she was about to loose everything she valued the woman gathered a few things and left her house. When she returned the next morning all she found were the broken remains of her dream.

This woman lost much in terms of material possessions. She had set her heart on something and let nothing deter her from seeing it through. While perseverance is a commendable attribute, persevering after the wrong things is a tragedy that often cannot be easily remedied. This woman had many choices as to where she could lay the foundation of her house, and against wise counsel she chose a foolish location. However, she stands with much company. For we, too, are easily given over to setting our lives on shakey ground. We ignore the wise counsel of God, build our lives on unforgiving foundations, and loose much in the process. However, we loose much more than materieal possessions. We often lose our self-respect, family relationships, friendships, our innocense, and our dreams. If we are lucky we may escape the crumbling house with a few valuables, but replacing all we lose is almost impossible.

We have been given many choices, and choices are one of the joys in life. However, when it comes to vital decisions of what we will build our lives upon, let us not go against wise counsel and choose a weak, shifting foundation. We have many foundations on which we can choose to build our lives. We may seek wealth as an end to all means. Or perhaps we feel we would be secure with an impressive job title or career. Frienships, popularity, good-looks, knowledge, and a good reputation are all foundations on which people build their lives. On the other extreme some people base their lives on revenge, sexual gratification, self-indulgence, or power. However, scripture is clear that there is only one thing worth our time and energy; only one hope that will not disappoint - Jesus, the cornerstone. He alone is able to stand the storms of life. He alone will not fall when everything else begins to crumble. He is strong, unmoving, and never changing.

As a believer, Christ is the foundation on which you are encouraged to build your life. Yes, there are other things that seem worthy and admirable. Being a mother is a wonderful investment of my time and energy, but if mothering is the foundation for my life, I am setting myself up for serious frustration. There are many great callings, but that is what they should remain. They should never become the basis for our hope and worth. If we set our hope on anything but Christ we will be tragically disappointed. For these things do not last. Nothing and no one but Christ has the ability to carry us and to not disappoint us in the end. He is the firm foundation. As the storms of life blow He does not sway; He does not bend; He does not run. And if we are planted firmly with Christ we will also remain strong during all the pains and tragedies of life.

So where is your hope? Is it in your 401K? Is it in your tone body and nice hair? Is your hope in your career, your friendships, or even your spouse? Or is your hope in Christ? Are you the wise man who built your house on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, or the foolish person who ignores the truth of Christ and finds all hope washed away with the rising tides? Friend, I want to offer you the hope I have found in every situation. Hope found in the One who has turned my mourning into dancing, who has given me that deep rooted joy we aread about in James that comes in spite of circumstances. But before you can turn your stumbling blocks into stepping stones you must be firmly planted on that firm foundation called Jesus Christ. Is He the basis of your life? Is He your passion, your heart's desire, your Lord? Don't mistake weekly attendance at church for a deep, active relationship with Christ. Are you living a life centered around God, or are you insisting He revolve around you? Until you take the first step through complete submission to God, your foundation is shakey. Let's start building, you and I, on this firm foundation of Jesus, the Christ.