Day 119 – Thankful I can build on a Firm Foundation

Today I was revisited by voices of the past that still sometimes come to the present. These voices say, “You are not worth my time. If you’re not doing it our way, then you’re doing it wrong, and therefore are not worthy of our attention.”

This took me back to years gone by, to painful memories of my childhood.

It might be said that those things are part of the foundation of my life.  And perhaps for a very short while they were.  But if I were to build my life on such a foundation, the building surely would not stand, for the foundation would be too full of brokenness to support any sort of substantial building.  If these things were a part of my foundation, the foundation itself would be cracked and crumbling.

But God reminds me that these things do not define me, and since I gave my life to Him, they are no longer a part of my foundation. 

Rather, Christ Jesus has become my Foundation!

^“For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”  1 Corinthians 3:11  NASB

These painful memories are, instead, part of the decor of the building that is built on the foundation of Christ. They are part of a mosaic, the dark colors that contrast with the lighter and brighter ones, accentuating and helping form the exquisite patterns.  They are the part of the stained glass windows that outline of all the splendid colors that reveal such beauty when the light shines through.  God weaves them into beautiful art, a masterpiece!

 

Perhaps we sometimes try to build our lives on things like:

• relationships,
• the praises of people,
• whether someone likes us or not,
• what they think of us,
• success,
• accomplishments,
• jobs
• financial status, or
• even our failures.

These foundations are crooked, cracked, and crumble with time. Building on them is like building on the sand. All it takes is a flood or a high wind, a stormy trial, and everything comes crashing down.

But Christ is the solid rock that stands firm forever!  He is the only sure and solid foundation on which to build our lives if we want our lives to be structurally sound.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”  Matthew 7:24-27  ESV

Those voices of rejection have got to go!

I must only put my trust on what Jesus says!!  I choose Jesus!

Today, I am thankful that Jesus accepts me even if others don’t. 

I am thankful that He loves me always! 

I’m thankful that He’s always with me even if others walk away! 

I’m thankful that He knows me intimately and chooses to show me grace and mercy.

What about you?  Do the lies people speak through words or non-verbal cues sometimes drag you down?  Do you recognize them as lies?  Do you know the truth about what Jesus says about you?  Has someone told you that even God could never love you (this is also a lie, by the way).  Did you ever think that God is such an amazing artist that He could make something beautiful out of your life, even with all the emotional pain of the past and/or present?