“What does it really mean to be able to build a life on the rock?”

That is a question I had always tried to ask for many years. The thing was, I never really got the answer to that question. So I spent years as a believer, but my life always felt shaky. Like if a major storm were to ever come into my life, that everything with simply crumble.

And I was so right too.

For the longest time, I had been living my life, either by default or choice. Either way, I had been living in a way where it’s constantly centered around things that I can only consider as shaky foundations. It’s not uncommon for many Christians and believers to grow up believing that the foundations that Jesus was referring to is just material stuff (i.e. riches, fame, earthly possessions, etc).

But after much reading and pondering, the spirit of God made me realize that it is way more than just that. Those shaky foundations also refer to the way we have chosen to live our daily lives. What are the root causes and motivations behind our decisions, our behavior towards others. When we can clearly identify that deep-seeded motivation and what drives us, then we can truly start to make the necessary changes.

For me, I’ve spent the majority of my life trying to do a few things:

• Living in fear of causing disappointment to others.
• Always wanting to fit in, to be accepted by others.
• Always thinking that I needed to please others.

When you consider what those 3 motivations/drives mean, then you can understand that many of my actions and decisions ultimately led to terrible consequences and outcomes. Sometimes, it might seem in the immediate instance that I was doing something good/right. But then in the long-term, everything would eventually fall apart and I would find myself in the middle of a disaster of my own making. Though those consequences weren’t immediate, they sure came do they.

But the real decision for me to make a change in how I lived my life came after a major downfall in 2017. My life literally crumbled before my eyes and I knew immediately that something was wrong and I needed to do something drastic in order to change the trajectory of where my life was heading. And then in 2018, I began the whole “My Daily Bread” journey. And now I’m trying to recommit myself to doing the same thing again.

Rock = Jesus. Jesus = Living Word of God. Rock = Bible.

So, this is where things get quite interesting. In my journey of trying to understand what it really means to build a life on a rock, I began to really dig into the Word of God. One thing that I realized (eventually), is that to build a life with Jesus, is also to build a life upon the word of God. Why is that so?

Well, because Jesus is also considered the living word of God. He is literally the bible in the flesh. Hence, if we are to build a life by following Jesus as our example. Then it stands to also translate that we need to learn to live a life that is build upon the word of God.

When we begin to understand all of that, it becomes more apparent that the Bible is what we need at the center of our lives. Yes, we need God in the centered, so is His word and His teachings. That is the rock that Jesus is referring to.

The Storm Came and Blew the House Down.

Herein lies the most important lesson. I’ve lived it. So it is definitely firsthand experience now that I’m telling it. In recent years, after straying away from God, and this life with Him as the center of it, I’ve come to realize that my foundations were weak. It has been the weakest it has ever been. So, when the real challenge/difficulties came, it rocked the foundations of my life and everything literally crumbled. Again. But this time, somehow it felt a whole lot worse than the first time I experienced things crumble in my life.

In hindsight (and after some reflection), I realize now that it felt worse this time because this time, I was the one who allowed it to happen. I know what I should be doing, but I decided to go the other direction. So I am fully aware that whatever happened to me, I only had myself to blame in the end.

This experience gave me the most important lesson so far, even during better times, we still need to learn to build our lives around God, around His word. It is during the good times that we need to build a much stronger foundation. Because trust me, there will always be challenging times ahead. There will always be new tests (storms of life) that will come to challenge the foundation of the house that we have built.

So the question that you and I must ask ourselves today, “have I built something that can stand the test of life’s greatest challenges?”

Personal Prayer for Today

Father God,

Today’s lesson and reminder wasn’t the easiest one. It wasn’t exactly pleasant too. It’s been a reminder of why my life had recently crumbled before me.

But I am also thankful that You have shown me what went wrong so that I can make the necessarily corrections to my life, so that something like that will not happen again. Ever.

Father, thank You for reminding that a strong foundation in this life means building a life upon the Bible. And clearly, a life that is centered around You.

Thank You for helping me to see and understand that it is during the best of times that we should be more diligent in building the foundation of our lives. For it is when new challenges in life that comes, that those foundations will be once again tested.

As I begin my day today, I only ask that You will continue to speak to me through Your word. Guide me and lead the way.

I vow to give You all the praises. In Jesus’ name.

Amen.