They are starting to show up again, cracks in our walls. From the corners of door facings and windows, they move along the walls in jagged lines. My son’s little finger traces over the crack that moves from one corner of his window toward his bed. The windows themselves have begun to separate from their sills. You can feel the cool morning breeze from across the room, with the window closed. Door heights have had to be adjusted so they will lock closed. These are visible signs of an unseen problem – the foundation. This house was built upon shifting ground. Though the owners had the foundation anchored, the problems persist.

Often times I see the cracks in my own life. Anger. Jealousy. Fear. Control. These cracks are evidences of the major flaw in my foundation – sin. On my own I grasp for straws wanting something solid and sure. I’ve tried to build on my own personal abilities, talents and desires – like the time I wanted to sell Mary Kay products. Boy, that was an expensive venture that went no where fast. I wasn’t in it for any reason other than what I could get out of it. Money. And less expensive make up. Truth is, I told myself it was for my family. That if I could just make enough income to work from home then I’d be happy. Isn’t that what we want? To have what we want, when and how we want it. Happiness, information, fulfillment, fill-in-your-own-blank, on our own terms. Yet, there’s that crack, leaving another gapping hole.

As many times as I’ve tried to make things right own my own, those darn cracks still show up. Just like in my house, I can patch and paint over the flawed walls, yet after time they reemerge, some not quite as wide and some in new spots. The same is true in our spiritual life. It is not a matter of just fixing the cracks in the walls, we must address the problem within our foundation. Jesus is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 7 speaking to this very subject.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on a solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Matthew 7:24-27 NLT

Notice in Jesus’ words the conditions that both houses faced. Torrents of rain come, floodwaters rise and wind beats against both houses. I’m not sure if you’ve ever found yourselves in the middle of a hurricane, but my husband and I rode out Hurricane Katrina in a second floor apartment south of I-10 in Baldwin County, Alabama in 2005. In the days and months following we saw the destruction left behind by that powerful storm. Foundations wiped clean. Lives lost. Possessions destroyed. The storm did not pick and choose which homes and families to devastate. It destroyed all that was within its path. There was not one life in it’s path that was left untouched – whether physically or emotionally.

Afterward, as we spoke with families that had been affected, we saw despair in the eyes of some and hope in the hearts of others. Why such a difference?

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Proverbs 1:7 NLT

There were many who had experienced loss of homes and possessions, even of family members, that their hope was in the Lord and in His faithful Word. While they were shaken to the very core, their foundation no longer lay within their own strength and ability but in the Lord.

Those cracks are just symptoms. Treat the symptoms and the problem still persists. The problem is in our foundation. Build upon the Rock, who is our God, and we will find true knowledge for He alone grants wisdom. We cannot depend on our own abilities and strength. His Word tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6 that we should seek Him in ALL we do. Not in half of what we do, or only when we think we need Him. We are to seek Him. Daily. Moment by moment. Worshipping Him alone. Then, we will see that what He is building is much stronger, much sturdier than anything we could build on our own.

And just in case we need a reminder, like the foundation of my house had to be anchored so that it wouldn’t continue to cause major destruction to the structure that was built upon it, we have an anchor also.

“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.”

Hebrews 6:18-19 NLT

** So thankful for a wonderful small group of women with whom I meet for Bible study.  This blog came after reflecting back over one of our recent sessions. **