Where Have You Built?

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.


 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
Matthew 7:24-27

        This song and these verses and their meaning have been on my mind a lot lately. I remember a time when I looked at myself and going, “What am I missing and why does all this Christianity make no sense to me? What am I supposed to be doing if I say I'm a Christian and go to church? What should I be doing about it, how should I be living, and what do I need to know?” I felt like I had been in church for years but had absolutely no idea what it even meant for me to be there. It was at that time in my life I realized I felt like I was living a lie if I claimed to be a Christian but had no idea why. It was at that time I found I had a deep desire to learn as much as I could about why I was at church and what it meant to have faith and believe in God; and that hasn’t stopped to this day.
        I have always looked for more and more resources and books to read to learn about the different aspects of God and ways to help me understand the heart of God deeper than before. I know no amount of reading or understanding will make me “better” in the eyes of God, but I want more than anything to know His heart and my heart longs to love and honor Him as much as I can because I can! In the same way that I long to express my love and gratitude to those in my life around me, I want to have my life be an outpouring for God as an expression of my love for Him!
        I look at myself today and see some of the events I have gone through over the years and how I handled them (sometimes gracefully and other times very distastefully), and I see one thing ring true at the end of each. No matter what came from the situation or how I felt in the moment, I always ended up running back to God. Don’t get me wrong when I say this though, because I didn’t always feel like I wanted to sometimes. There were times I felt God was turning His back on me and so I didn’t want to talk to Him. I couldn’t have been more wrong though; I experienced more outpouring than ever before of love and grace than I could have imagined from His people in these moments.

        The number of people that have prayed-through, lifted-up, and walked alongside me in faith during my life has been an incredible and undeniable stamp of God’s hand in my life. I have often felt I don’t have a very large friend group, but when I look at who I do have in my life I am so incredibly blessed to know I have some amazing godly friends and family around me. They have helped me build a foundation from a very young age (even when I had no idea what it was all about) and have continued to help me build on it to this day! I know my life could be very different if I didn't have these people surrounding me, and I don't even want to think of where or who I would be without them around me. This makes me even more thankful for their prayers and words of wisdom through the years even when I didn't want them sometimes!
        When the storms come into my life, I don’t fear that I will be swept away with them. I do experience the grief, the heartache, and sometimes the shear pain of the moment, but I remind myself that I need to continue to run to God in these moments; not a bottle, not a pill, not a relationship, not some temporary fill to make me feel better in the meantime. I have slipped up before and turned to things I shouldn’t, but God in his grace has gently and lovingly reminded me of my worth in Him and has brought me back to the fold.
        I think about these verses and how it says to build my house on the rock and how it has applied to my life experiences. I feel I have “built my house on the rock”, but sometimes I have decided to step outside of my house and stand in the storm and do a little “house shopping.” I decide that maybe the houses around me have something better to offer and I start to walk to those houses to find out. When I get there, they without a doubt look beautiful and enticing on the surface, but over time they are not able to withstand what life throws at me; maybe for a short while, but eventually the beauty wears off and they start to fall apart. So, I walk back out into the storm and head back to the safety of my own house [God]. And when I get there, the fireplace is roaring, a feast prepared, and the bed ready for me to rest in. I think many of us have had these experiences where we fall for the “grass is greener” mindset and forget the truths and promises that God has spoken over us. He is always waiting with open arms to welcome us home, but I don’t want to keep “house hunting!” I know I may fail from time to time, but I know my hope and my rest are in God at ALL times.
         In a time where everyone says truth is relative and that what is known as right is called wrong and what the Bible says is wrong everyone is calling right, I pray more than ever that you find your foundation on the true and unwavering rock that is Christ! We stand in what everyone says are “uncertain times,” but I can tell you with certainty that God is still at work, is in control, and has the final say in this life. I encourage each of you to stay rooted in The Word and reminding yourself of the truths found there. Build on The Rock and hold firm in your faith!