Firm Foundation by Jane Reedy
Luke 6:47-49 “I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”
Every year my family spends a week at the shore. I enjoy sitting on the beach, reading. My brothers, nephews and niece on the other hand, enjoy playing in the sand. They especially like digging holes. They start digging in the morning and continue throughout the day.
As they dig deeper into the sand, they use buckets to remove water that seeps into the bottom. They surround the hole with walls and trenches to prevent water from flooding the hole. They decorate the outside with shells and seaweed. Their holes are often the envy of other kids on the beach.
Although they do their best to fortify and protect the hole, it is always gone the next day; washed away by the high tide.
It reminds me of the parable of the two builders: one who built his house upon a solid foundation and it stood firm when the storms came and the other who built his house on the sand, where it got washed away. I must remember not to put my trust in the sand – money, possessions, careers, other interests; instead, put my trust in God who is the rock that supports me during the high tides of my life.