Foundations

In my years growing up on the coast of Southern California, I saw some incredible storms hit the shoreline. Of course, being a recreational surfer, impending storms were actually something my friends and I excitedly anticipated. Storms meant "Surf's up" and we often grabbed our boards and hit the beach to take advantage of the bigger waves.

In really BIG storms, there always seemed to be a point at which the storm overcame my ability to handle the biggest waves. It was then that I'd humbly pack up my board and simply watched the storm do it's thing. There were a few storms that still stand out in my memory. The sound of huge waves hitting the shore is something you simply don't forget.

The devastation the ocean can bring to the shoreline is breathtaking. I've seen things along the coast in serious storms that I definitely don't see in North Texas (unless it is the work of a tornado). Multi-million dollar homes get sucked right out into the sea in a matter of minutes. Homes that were "engineered" to withstand the forces of nature fold up like a house of cards.

Though Jesus didn't surf Southern California (though I think he was cool like that), being the creative force behind all creation, he knows a thing or two about storms and the damage they inflict on structures. He even used that reality as an example in teaching his followers. He said, "Everyone who hears my words and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and hit that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock." (Matthew 7:24-29)

Storms in life come and go, but the thing that allows us to stand through them is what our life is built upon. Notice Jesus said, "everyone who hears and obeys." I've heard a ton of Jesus' teaching, but I've got to be honest...I haven't always obeyed them. And I've found that obeying...really makes a storm-sized difference in how things go in my life.

When I choose to consciously not follow Jesus' teaching, it is like I'm consciously weakening my foundation. When the big storms come (and it has just started raining outside as I write this)...I have to wonder which "house" I'll be? The one washed out to sea or the one standing to see another beautiful day on the coast?

Join us at The Point, this Sunday night March 22, 5:00 in downtown Plano for healthy food, live music, loving friendship and a discussion of the best foundation to build your life on.