Surviving the Storms of Life
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
The Need For A Solid Foundation
Nothing can survive the absence of a solid foundation.
Have you ever heard of the story of how the Chase Manhattan Bank was built? Decades ago they were building this skyscraper in Manhattan and discovered halfway through the project that they had accidentally started building on a large deposit of quicksand. This meant the whole building was in danger of eventually sinking, toppling over, and destroying parts of Manhattan.
They were in a really tough spot. It seemed like the only option was to restart the project somewhere else and lose tons of cash. However, a team of scientists and engineers got together and came up with an innovative idea. They sank long pipes into the quicksand below and forced a solution of sodium silicate and calcium chloride into it. A few days later that sand was transformed into solid water-tight sandstone! Once they had that solid foundation they got back to work, and finished the building, and it has been standing strong ever since.
The only way to build something that lasts is by building it on a solid foundation. This is important because no marriage survives without a solid foundation. No family survives without a solid foundation. Your passion and purpose in and for life will dwindle without the presence of a solid foundation.
You might not have grown up with a solid foundation, you might not have grown up going to church or knowing Jesus. Yet I have great news for you. If you pour God’s Word into your life, if you start following Jesus, it will transform the foundation of your life into something solid. God’s word is transformational and whoever puts them into practice will find themselves building on a solid foundation! This is why Jesus said, “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” This is really good news because I believe three storms are hitting every person right now.
The Culture We Live In
The first storm that hits us is the culture we live in. It is constantly seeking to distract us from our God-given purpose and instead continually sends the message that you matter most. A book, New Rules, gives an example of this,
“…those most devoted to self fulfillment are having the most trouble in their marriages. Truly committed fulfillment seekers focus so sharply on their own needs that instead of achieving a more intimate, giving, relationship they grow further apart from each other… the strategy they employ results in constricting their lives, drawing inward in ever narrowing closed off “I”. People want to enlarge their choices, but by seeking to keep all options open they actually diminish them.”
That’s the kind of culture we live in. People devoted to themselves are hardly ever devoted to anything outside themselves.
The Conflicts We Live With
The second storm that hits us is the conflicts we live with. The reality is that everyone has conflict, everyone! However, we’ve all learned to deal with conflict differently. Some of us learned the “My Way” style of conflict resolution. Meaning I’ll fight till I win and you give in. I’m totally right and you’re totally wrong. I’m going to assert my will to you give in. The problem with that is that it produces tension. Or maybe you learned the “No Way” style. Which means you back away from all conflict. You withdraw and say “Nope!” The problem with that is that there is never any resolution.
Or maybe you learned the “Your Way” style. which means you always give in. You desire peace above all else and so you become a doormat to everyone else. The problem with that is that it only produces bitterness. Some people learn the “Half Way” style. That’s where you compromise. I win a little, you win a little. While that is better than the others there's an even higher level of conflict resolution. The “Our Way” style is when we work out our mutual goals together. We care about relationships more than any single issue.
The Crisis We Live Through
Finally, the third storm is the crisis you will live through. We all experience a variety of crises. We all will experience tough times. A lost job. A broken relationship or trust. A death in the family. Jesus recognizes that you and I have very little control over the crisis, but he shows that we have a lot of control over what we choose as our foundation!
This is massive because how you weather the storms of life will determine if your faith will make it or break it. If your family will make it or break it. If your marriage will make it or break it. It determines how much stress you carry with you, how much fatigue you have, and how much insecurity you live with. How we handle the storms of life is ultimately determined by what we choose as our foundation and that determines our ultimate destiny.
When the rains of culture and the floods of conflict and the winds of change hit your life, the most important question you can ask yourself is this, “Do I have a solid foundation?” Make Jesus and His Word your foundation.
