Years ago I became a homeowner. I
had 3 kids and we thought that I needed to do what everybody does to try to become
more financially stable, so I bought a condo. It was really easy to do. I used
a trusted friend from church as my realtor. I found a decent location, but more
importantly, a property I could afford, and I purchased it. It didn’t help my
financial situation short-term. I was in Orange County, California. It was the
early 2000’s.
When I decided to relocate to
Portland, Oregon for several reasons, one being a more affordable place to
live, I sold the condo. I sold it in 20 minutes of putting up the sign. I sold
it for what I thought was a lot more than what I purchased it for. I then
purchased, on only a condo, but a home on a third of an acre with 14 big trees.
It was like I had a campground in my backyard. I was doing what everybody does
to become more financially stable; I was moving up the property ownership
ladder.
To my demise, I soon realized
that I lacked the financial foundation of understanding and discipline to
sustain a financial future. While the property I invested in was solid and the home was on a firm foundation, my financial acumen and disciple were grossly
inadequate.
Fast-forward to 2015 and a
conversation with my father-in-law out on the driveway of the home I am renting.
My father-in-law was a successful businessman who prepared land for building.
He knew about foundations and how to make sure structures would stay standing
because adequate work was done by first making the land suitable for laying a
foundation. He said to me “Do not buy this house. Its foundation is not on
solid ground.” In 5+ years, I can see what he means.
Today the speaker at church
talked about a story from the Bible, that for anyone who has grown up in the
church, is a very familiar passage, Luke 6:46-49. This is the story of Jesus
teaching about building our lives on a solid foundation. As He teaches, He
draws an analogy from the concept of building a house. Jesus begins by asking
what good it is to be polite and say “Yes, sir” and “that’s right, sir,” and
then not do what Jesus says.
If you are a parent you have
experienced those times when, to your face, your child says they will do
something, only to find out hours later they didn’t do what they said they
would. It’s my pet peeve about voicemail greetings… “Hi you’ve reached Sally.
Leave a message and I’ll call you back just as soon as I can.” It was March
2019 and I’m still waiting for that return call. It happens in sales all the
time. People tell you they want to buy something but they do not do what they
say they will do.
Jesus relates hearing His
teaching and not working them into your life like being a “dumb carpenter”
(Luke 6:49 The Message), someone “who builds a house without laying any
foundation whatsoever” (Luke 6:49 TPT). Jesus, in His analogy to building a
house, describes storms and floods that can cause the house to actually collapse
into a heap of ruins, like a house of cards, becoming a total loss. Thankfully
I bought both a condo and then a house that was built well. They stood and continue
to stand the storms that ravage them. Their foundations were strong and served
me well when I owned them. I’m sure they are serving their owners to this day.
My personal, financial
foundation, however, was weak or nonexistent. When the storms of life came
financially, I was not on a firm foundation and I crumbled in ruin. Thus my
need to be renting at age 54 rather than owning a home. Digging out of a heap
of ruins after losing the entire investment, is a difficult thing to do.
I have chosen to reflect on my
poor financial foundation, but the reality is, that I look back at my life, I
had built upon weak foundations in lots of areas of my life. Maybe you can
relate to not having a strong financial foundation. Maybe your foundation for
healthy relationships is weak. Maybe you are lacking a good, healthy foundation
physically. Maybe emotionally you have so many weak points in your foundation.
Whatever areas of your foundation may be lacking, let’s face it; if one part of
the foundation is weak, it is likely that lots of areas are. You are not alone
in that fact. The good news is that Jesus is the knowledgeable son of a
carpenter. He gives us the answer in His teaching, recorded for us in the book
of Luke.
Jesus tells us that what He is
about to share are not just “additions to your life, homeowner improvements to
your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on”
(Luke 6:47 The Message). He shares what it’s like for a person to follow what
He says.
“If you work the
words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed
against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last” (Luke 6:48 The
Message).
My Father-in-law knew by looking
at the cracks in the concrete driveway that the ground had not been properly
prepared for the building. Jesus knows that one who is not ruined by the storms of
life is one who “digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock (Luke 6:48 NLT).
When I was ravaged by the rising floodwaters of life and the waves were
breaking against me, it was because I had not come to Jesus, listened to His
words, and followed Him. Those who are unshaken are those with a life still
standing “for it has been wisely built his life on the right foundation” (Luke
6:48 TPT).
The great thing about Jesus is
that His Heavenly Father is the Ultimate Carpenter. He created the heavens and
the Earth (Gen. 1:1) and He can help you build a new foundation on which to
stand. It is never too late. Jesus’s words in His teaching tell us to come to
Him, listen to Him, and follow Him. It is that simple…and it is so hard. In
Sunday School as a child, I learned this story of Jesus’ teaching through a
song. The song talks about a wise man and a foolish man, as does the story. How
could I be so foolish as to hear the words of the Son of THE Carpenter, and yet
neglect them, thus neglecting my foundation for life? I don’t know anyone who
would say they do not want to be wise. So why not build your life upon the
ROCK. In Psalm 18 David says “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my
deliverer: my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge” (NIV). 1 Corinthians 3:11
says “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is
Jesus Christ” (ESV). If you do a Google search there are over 100 different
references to the Lord being the rock and foundation.
Last week I wrote about making
every day count for something. I was thinking this week about how quickly every
day goes by. 24 hours, 1440 minutes, 86,400 seconds; they just seem to fly by
at times. I have been given the opportunity to rebuild my foundation and making
sure there are no weak spots. Would you like to join me in the construction project?
You work on yours, I’ll work on mine. We will encourage each other in our work.
We can share building skills that are helpful. We can talk about mistakes to
avoid. We can even look out for each other as we build. Let’s let Jesus be our Contractor
or Master Carpenter. Let’s come to Him daily, listen to what He is teaching us,
and follow His instructions. Our houses will not fall again.
Thanks for reading,
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