I have been through a lot of ups and downs in my lifetime. I know that I’m not the only one though. The one thing that has gotten me through it all is God and my faith in Him. Through it all I know that He will never leave me. That He will never put more on me than I can bear. Just knowing this has gotten me through dark and stormy times. Times in which I have questioned every single aspect of my life. Times where I only saw darkness and not a slither of light. Life has its ups and downs. The reason we can be down one day and up the next is because of our faith in God. How strong your faith in God is, will equate to how solid your foundation is as well. 

Life will keep going no matter if you are ready or not. It will hit you harder than you think you are ready for, at that time. Notice that I said “THINK”! That is because God has given us the tools and the guide so we can handle anything. God has gifted you with a unique set of skills that will help you whether any storm that is thrown at you. He gave you the Bible which has LIMITLESS knowledge and wisdom in it’s pages. We are supposed to use that to build our faith in Him.

Jesus closed His sermon on the mount with one final analogy. Matthew 7:24-28. It is the story of “The Wise and Foolish Builders”. A storm hits two houses, two homes. The first is hit but stands and survives because it is built on a solid rock foundation. Jesus equates that house to a person who listens to His word and takes it to heart. Not only do they take it to heart they allow it to change their lives by putting it into practice. This is how we get through the stormy parts of our lives. By having a solid foundation.

However, there is another alternative. The builder who built his on the sand was foolish. He built it and the storm came and destroyed the home. This shows that the man did not take what Jesus said to heart. That he was ill prepared for the storms that are guaranteed to come in this life. 

Something that is commonly misunderstood with this text is why one built his on sand and another built his on rock. Why would someone build a house on sand and not on rock? The man who built his house on the rock didn’t just have better real estate. No, he worked for the solid foundation. He dug past all the sand, dirt, and everything else to get all the way to the bedrock. He then built it upon that rock. The other saw an easier route that took less time and effort. Not only does this show us that the effort we put into life matters. It shows us the difference between the person who listens to what The Bible has to say. It makes all the difference.

As I stated earlier, life will keep going despite us being ready or not. 2020 has been very tough for a good majority of people. Let me tell you that this is no mistake. God is preparing us for something. For what I am unsure. I want you to look internally and analyze how you have reacted to things that have happened to you. How do you react when the storm hits you? If we want to be like the man who built his house on the rock it will take work and effort. Life will keep hammering you while you work but if you keep God and His words first then you will be fine! In fact you will be better than fine. You will still struggle but you will be able to have peace knowing nothing will overtake you, because YOU HAVE GOD! 

But, on the other side you can react like the foolish man. You can take the easy route. The wide gate (Matthew 7:13) is open for those who want to live according to their wants and needs. It will be easier to establish a life because it has less work in getting the foundation. Life will hit you the same no matter what. Analyze where you want your foundation to be and act accordingly. Know that God is with you and will always be there to help. But, how will you react when life gets hard? Where will your foundation be? 

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