We live in a world that is extremely busy and easily distracts us from the love and presence of God. This is a world in which so many people base their happiness, joy and success upon what they achieve in life, along with what they gain in the world. No wonder we witness the demise of people’s health, the desolation of relationships and such unhappiness in society. We often forget, ignore or simply don’t care about our relationship with God, and the significant role Christ plays in our daily lives.
Jesus at one point in his ministry talked about the difference between building our house on either sand, or rock. Of course the sand meaning establishing our lives upon people, places and things of the world. The rock being Christ himself. There is an alluring aspect in this world to base our self-worth upon our personal identity, acquired worldly goods, as well as comparing ourselves and self-worth to others. We even base our self-esteem and our intimate relationships on the standards of our modern day society. This is what Jesus means when he talks about building our houses (lives) on sand. Sand shifts, is unstable and easily gets washed away by a stream, river or rain. There is no stability in that lifestyle. When torrential down pours or swollen rivers flood our lives, often we are washed away, helpless with no spiritual footing to guard or protect us.
On the other hand Jesus talks about building our houses (lives) on rock (him). Christ is ever constant in our lives when we have faith. No matter how bad the storms of life, or the fierceness of a rapid river, we will be unmoved and secure. Of course this all depends on our relationship with God. We have free will, thus we have the final choice when it comes to prioritizing and building our lives. Do we place all of our self-worth, measure our success and form our identity by the standards of the world? Do we establish our marriages and relationships with others by that same standard, all built on sand? Or do we choose the path of Christ, and establish our lives on his firm and unmovable bedrock? The choice is obviously ours to make.
Faith is unseen and something that comes from trusting God in all situations. Prayer and meditation are important aspects to building a stronger, more reliable and unquestioning faith. Our faith will sustain us through the difficulties and the harsh realities of life. When we blame God for all our problems rather than turning to him in prayer and faith, our lives suffer and if not careful become washed away in a tide of darkness, helplessness and hopelessness.
For the past few years my life was basically faithless. The unfairness and cruelty of this vicious world swept me down stream. My faith and life were built on unstable sand, as well as resentment, anger, and a mental illness that I never asked for, depriving my life of all hope. The darkness was so black that I could no longer see the light of Christ, only that helpless feeling of knowing this was the end. So many terrible things happened all at once during those three wretched years of utter pain and loneliness. God seemed distant, if present at all. I beat myself up and lived with regret, remorse and morbid grief. Then, I realized that this was life on life’s terms and there was very little I could do about all that had occurred in my life. I needed Christ in my life. That was the only way I would find healing, power and hope.
It took only a mustard seed of faith to begin to transform my life into one that is becoming ever so gradually healthier. I made a decision to trust in Jesus no matter what the outcome. My life couldn’t get any worse than it had already become. I was so sick, both mentally and spiritually. I began to turn my struggles, worries, relationships and fears over to Christ, putting those negative and hurtful thoughts, people and actions into his hands. Things began to change. I’ve slowly begun to let go of the past and live in the present, not perfectly, but at least it’s a start. I once again had to rely and build my house on Jesus, my rock, my hope and my salvation. As difficult as it has been, forgiveness began to slowly and subtly creep into my war torn life. I realized we have to forgive others in order to move on in life. That is often difficult especially when we’ve been deeply wounded and hurt. However, there is no room to hold grudges when attempting to living a life in Christ. It just doesn’t work. We become bitter people. Life is to short, and cutting away the cumbersome baggage of the past is a must for a healthy, peaceful and hopeful future. By doing this we find true freedom and a renewed, reconciled life in Christ.
It is important that we rely upon God in our lives, because God’s presence brings us peace. Anything we try to substitute for that peace brings about a life of chaos. Thus when our reliance for a well grounded and happy life is built on sand, we invite chaos into every aspect of our lives. Our reliance is no longer upon God.
Through the love and sacrifice of Jesus, no longer do we have to allow that pitch and utter darkness into our lives. No matter how difficult and hopeless life may feel, God is never through with us. He is always present,. God invites us to travel a path with him that may seem scary at first as we walk into the unknown. Yet if we trust and rely on Christ to take charge of our lives we will find ourselves better off than we ever were before.
Jesus is our firm rock and radiant light that dispels and breaks all darkness that crashes down upon us. By his holy name no shadows can ever overcome us. Our true reliance is upon God, any thing else is just a bad substitute.
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