Foundations

What is your foundation? Do you remember that story of the foolish man who built his house upon the sand, and the wise man who built his house upon the rock? Did you start singing it while you were reading that? That may be something you have sung a thousand times, but have you ever stopped to think about what that means?

When a house has a weak foundation and a storm comes in, the house can be completely destroyed even if the storm is a relatively small one. Even a little too much rain can destroy a house if the foundation is not solid or the land around the house is not solid.

In January 2018, there were mudslides in Santa Barbara county in California, and 65 residences were destroyed, 462 were damaged, and 23 people lost their lives. These mudslides were a result of devastating wildfires destroying vegetation that normally keeps the topsoil in place with its roots, then those fires were followed by at least 4 inches of rain in two days. Houses placed on steep hills without support and those at the bottom of hills without retaining walls were the hardest hit. There are precautions people can take when building their homes to keep them from being wiped out by storms. What precautions are you taking to keep yourself strong?

Our foundations and who and what we surround ourselves with affect our lives greatly. When we surround ourselves with people with shallow roots, we can easily be swept away by even the slightest difficulty. When we do not have the solid foundation of faith and trust in God, we can be deeply damaged or destroyed by storms that sweep through our lives. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” When things happen that we cannot understand, we can only rely on Him. He is the only Foundation, the only solid Rock that will help us withstand anything that comes our way.

About two and a half years ago, our family experienced a devastating, figurative

storm that came from out of the blue. It was so sudden and so unbelievable that we were all in complete shock. We were shaken to our very cores. I cannot say I am completely free from bitterness regarding the situation, but I can say that it did not take long before I could rest in the fact that God had a plan. He was still in control. My relatively quick recovery only came because of the foundation God had created in my heart. A solid foundation of trust in God that has been built up over years and years of experience with His faithfulness. I can tell you story after story of how God has been there for us. Story after story of His faithfulness to us as we keep our focus on Him.

God has always provided songs for me when I am floundering. Songs to remind me of His faithfulness, songs to help me put one foot in front of the other, songs to shine light into my darkest days. These also help me remember what I was going through when I first heard them. I cannot listen to “What Faith Can Do” by Kutless without remembering another hard time that God brought us through or “Hills and Valleys” by Tauren Wells or “Even If” by MercyMe. They are my retaining walls, if you will. The walls that keep the mud and muck from overwhelming me.

What is your foundation? Do you rely on God when things get tough? How are you strengthening the soil around you? Storms will happen. Life is full of surprises, disappointments, and difficulties. How can you remind yourself of God’s faithfulness? The Bible tells us over and over of God’s faithfulness, and I can tell you with 100 percent confidence that He is faithful. Always.