One of my favorite childhood memories is that of building sandcastles with my dad at the beach. My dad would level off a large area with a shovel, build a moat and I would start running buckets of wet sand back and forth from the ocean in order to build a wall surrounding what would be a fabulous drip castle in the middle. That part was my dad’s job. He was the artist and had just the right touch to be able to create tall ornate spires high into the air. With that, the race against the mighty ocean had begun. The goal was to complete the castle before the tide rose enough to destroy our creation. Sometimes we were able to complete the castle and other times we watched in dismay as the ocean knocked it down. We acted, through laughter, that this was a tragedy, but in reality, it just meant that we got to build another castle. The joy came from spending time creating something together.
Contrast the sandcastle to the great room that my dad added to our house. I can picture him and a few of his friends pouring yards of cement, leveling it, and waiting for it to dry. The months that followed included hours of framing, nailing up sheetrock, adding a roof, stucco, and paint; the project continued for what seemed like an eternity. This was not nearly as fun as building a sandcastle and a lot more work! What followed though were 40 years of memories. In that room, I met my baby sister for the first time, spent countless holidays with family and friends, and watched my own twins take their first steps. Today, that room is still standing, and another family is building memories in the security of a strong structure.
These are sweet stories, but this is also where the analogy breaks down because both the castle built on the sand and the room built on concrete yielded beautiful, lasting memories. Yet, imagine with me what it would have been like to live in that castle on the sand. It’s simply impossible and would have been foolish to even try. Matthew 7 talks about a wise man who builds on rock as opposed to a foolish man who builds on sand. Verse 24 says, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man.” God is calling for wisdom; for obedience. Building on rock takes longer and it takes more work, but the result is worth it!
Do you ever try to race through a project; knowing that what you will yield could be so much better if you just took your time and did it the right way in the first place? This is God’s desire for us. He has given the blueprints; the guidance to obey and follow His perfect plan, that will provide a strong and lasting structure. Which foundation will you choose?
Lynette Fuson
Director of Care & Counseling