“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice
is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its
foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them
into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the
streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great
crash” (Matthew 7:24-29).
An old bottle had been found in the midst of dirt and
rock. The glass bottle had some markings on it, but very little to give clues as to its
origin or age. But because the bottle was obviously old and because it was still in good
condition, it was seen as a valuable find--one that intrigued the finders of it. “I
wonder how old it is!” one said with enthusiasm, as others marveled at the find. But
to me it was kind of funny that we all took such great interest in an old, man-made
bottle, and gave no thought to the age of the rocks that had surrounded it in the ground.
It would seem that the more fragile or rarity of the
find, the more incredible it is to us to look at it. The rocks had existed far longer than
the bottle, yet the bottle was the only one like it in the area--it was fragile yet had
lasted. But if we had to consider which would last longer, which would be more dependable,
we would surely give more thought to the rock--knowing it is more solid and sure.
We are much like the bottle. We are a rare find--unique
in many ways. And we are a sight to behold if we somehow survive and seem to remain
intact. Yet we are not sure, or solid. We are not as lasting as the rock. If we see
ourselves next to God and consider which is more dependable--proven through the ages, we
cannot help but see that such trust is warranted only toward God, and not to ourselves.
We are like sand castles--here today, and yet--worn away
by the tide. But with Christ, we are not the sand castles but merely inhabit them. Our
bodies are the sand castles, they will be here only for a short time. But we who inhabit
them need not pass with them. If we place our faith in the Rock, then we shall see that we
are more than the sand castles we inhabit. We shall see that though the sand castle falls
apart and fades, that we shall continue on because we set up ourselves upon the Rock--the
lasting foundation. But should we decide that this life is all there is, then we have
placed our faith only within our sand castles, putting our faith in what appears to be a
great thing, completely missing that which is so near, yet goes unnoticed.
Our lives are only for a short time. Where shall we place
our faith? In the sand castles? Or in the Rock?
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Sand Castles