I Will Build My Life

For a little while (like a very little while) I worked in construction. I needed a summer job so I went to work pouring concrete foundations for houses. To this day, I have this annoying habit of pointing out every house that I worked on that summer. “I made that house and that house and that house,” I say as my kids roll their eyes.

When I say that I poured concrete, I mean I was entrusted with that particular job once.

I failed miserably, causing both rework and cost overrun for the company. I was not asked to pour concrete again. For the rest of the summer, I did the most menial jobs. I carried concrete forms from one location to another. It was hard, back-breaking labor and I’ll never forget it. 

I’ll also never forget what packed dirt becomes when the rain soaks it. It becomes a miry, muddy morass. That’s why we poured those concrete foundations. They provided something for the rest of the house to be built on. 

A Firm Foundation

Jesus compared His word to the foundation of a house. Specifically, he said His word—lived-out—is like a house with that foundation. His word—not-lived-out—is like a house that is floating away. That’s a pretty important distinction. Most people don’t catch it when they read that particular parable (Matthew 7:24-27). 

Shockingly, the ground moves. I think I was hugely disappointed when I learned that. The house I live in, for example, has experienced settling, and at one time, the ground shifted and cracks began to appear, inside and out. To fix it, a company was brought in which drove steel beams all the way down to the bedrock. No matter how much the ground shifts now, the house won’t move (unless, of course, the New Madrid goes).

Our world shifts, changes. That shouldn’t be a shock. Culturally, the ground moves under us all the time. One generation ages, and the next matures into its prime, seemingly putting as much distance from the values and mores of the preceding generation as possible. Such has been the case for millennia. 

Cancel Culture

We live in a cancel culture that removes the monuments of generations past because of the decisions made or words spoken that may have been acceptable to the majority in their day, but are anathema now. It does make me wonder, What culturally acceptable practices of today will be denounced by generations to come?

All of this cries for a firmer ground. If the ground moves so quickly, should we really build a house on it? 

If I build my life on the cultural values of today, I will be judged by the cultural values of tomorrow. What an absolutely terrifying prospect. 

So, I choose to build on the bedrock.

I choose to build on the truth that has not changed as civilizations have risen and fallen. I choose to base my life on and be judged by the One who offers a firm foundation. Because when all else changes, when all else is consumed, that foundation remains. 

How about you? Don’t you get tired of the shifting ground? What if there was something more firm, more secure, and more real? Wouldn’t you want to know about it? That’s the promise the Word of God speaks to us.

It is a ground to stand on. 

Check it out sometime. Start in the book of John. It’ll rock your world crazy and still give you a rock to stand on in this crazy world.