Crying Over Spilled Sand
Because of our house’s limited storage space, the seasonal flower arrangements from the chapels are typically placed into totes and stored in our attic. The problem is that the totes large enough to hold the arrangements are too large to go through the attic doorway unless they’re turned sideways. As you can imagine, this is not the best practice and usually results in my having to “tweak” the arrangements once they come down from the attic before displaying them in the chapel.
Recently, however, the arrangements that came out of the attic needed more than a simple adjustment. Half of the vases had fallen over, dumping their flowers and sand inside the tote. The result was a gritty, mangled mess that took several hours to rework.
I berated myself as I sorted through the tangled mess of flowers and sand in the tote. It was a sight to behold, let me tell you. But as I worked, a thought struck me. What a perfect analogy for what happens when we don't have a solid spiritual foundation.
You see, just like those flower arrangements needed proper support to stay upright in storage, we need a solid base in our faith to weather life's storms. Without it, we can easily find ourselves feeling scattered and broken, like those poor flowers. The consequences of not having a strong spiritual foundation can be devastating.
I thought back to the story of the wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7:24-27. Jesus said,
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."
Just like the wise builder, we need to build our lives on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. When we do, we can stand firm no matter what life throws our way. But if we build on the shifting sands of the world, we'll find ourselves toppling over at the first sign of trouble.
As I continued working on the flower arrangements, I couldn’t help but think about my spiritual foundation. Was it strong enough to withstand the storms of life? Or was I building on sand, setting myself up for a fall? While I’ve trusted Jesus for my eternal salvation, am I trusting Him with my day-to-day existence?
It was a sobering thought but also an encouraging one. Because I knew that no matter how messy things might get, I could always turn to God and His Word to find the strength and support I needed.
So, friends, I encourage you to take a look at your own spiritual foundation. Are you building on the solid rock of Jesus Christ? Or are you relying on the shifting sands of the world? Remember, it's never too late to start building on the right foundation. And when you do, you'll find that no matter what life throws your way, you'll be able to stand strong and unshakable. This is a source of great reassurance and hope.