I happened to take a glance at one of the sidebars and noticed this fun little stat regarding the number of posts by year:
2009 - 123
2010 - 12
Um, is there a digit missing there or something??
That is so sad.
So here's my feeble attempt at trying to post more often, mostly because I really do enjoy writing and it's nice to have a hobby besides changing diapers.
With that said, this little post has been rattling around in my head for quite some time now. Actually, after the past 5ish weeks we've had around here the rattle became more like a jackhammer as God reminded me of a very important truth.
You see, I've had a bad case of Jobitis. Never heard of it? Symptoms include whining, crying and incessantly asking God to explain Himself. This often leads to a big ol' pity party and wondering why God is picking on you. (See the book of Job in the Bible for the case study.)
Compared to many problems around the world, like, um, having enough food or clean water, my problems are nothing. And I know that.
But in MY world it has been week upon week of challenging situations that have me literally pulling the covers up over my head every morning wondering if anyone would notice if I didn't crawl out of bed that day. I cannot count how many mornings I looked at my husband and said, "I can't do this today."
Of course, the Lord sustained me each and every day. But does anyone else just get tired of it being hard? I pray, read my Bible and love the Lord. We teach our children how to love God and try our best to serve others. And, still this barrage of difficulties day after day?
In other words: WHY ME?
Enter a little story Jesus told in Matthew 7:24-27 about a wise man and a foolish man who both built houses with very different foundations.
("Ohhhh, the rains came down and the floods came up..." If you spent any time in Sunday school this song is going to be in your head all day now. You're welcome.)
I've heard the story, sung the song and read the passage countless times. But something different stuck out to me recently. Look:
24 “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. 25 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. 26 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. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Notice anything about the situation of the wise man and the foolish man? Look again:
24 “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. 25 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. 26 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. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (emphasis mine)
Not only did they both experience a storm, but the storms were exactly the same.
As a follower of Jesus I find myself unconsciously engaging God in an unspoken contract. You know, I follow You and You spare me situations that become too uncomfortable or too difficult. K? Thanks.
The tiny little problem with that is God doesn't make contracts and never promises anything of the sort. In fact, Jesus said quite the opposite:
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33b
We live in a fallen world and the storms of life come -and come hard - whether you are a believer or not. So what's a person to do?
Check your foundation.
In the story of the wise and foolish man both built houses, both underwent the exact same great storm. But only one house stood because its foundation was on the rock.
Or rather, on the Rock.
And what happened to the foolish man's house? It didn't just fall, it fell with a "great crash". Been there, done that. The last thing anyone needs after a great storm is a great crash.
So if the storms of life come no matter what, the only thing we can do is to make sure our foundation is strong. My prayer this morning changed from "Lord, please change _____" to "Lord, whatever happens today, please be my foundation."
Just because I'm a believer does not mean I'm exempt from the storms of life (as much as I wish that I were). So unless I want my "house" to go "splat", I need to put the Word into practice and daily build my life on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Which sounds suspiciously like a little Sunday school song I used to sing.
(It's still in your head isn't it? Muah-ha-ha!)
