27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
I can't say enough about OUR 24 FAMILY WAYS by Clay Clarkson! It has been life changing for our family and it's only been two weeks. It has helped in our parenting and discipline in an incredible way because when one of the kids stumbles into trouble, we are able to talk about what we have been learning and talk about what the Bible says regarding the behavior. And because we serve a genius God, He has used this to work on us too. It is just as much for us as it is the kids. Amazing how it has become a way the Lord keeps us ALL accountable in our home.
Last week one of the questions (it always begins with a question) really rocked my world. I love how it begins each lesson with a question to ask the kids because it gets everyone involved and Josiah and Ava Beth have found ways to get Ezekiel involved too. The question that made such an impact on me, or more like the conversation that followed, was about building a clubhouse. "What supplies would you need to build your very own clubhouse?" The kids loved this question! Their answers were exactly what I thought they would be. Josiah wanted metal for his clubhouse because he wanted it to look like a Bat Mobile. Ava Beth wanted pink paint so her clubhouse looked like a pink castle. Ezekiel wanted everything Josiah wanted, of course. The next question was "When building your clubhouse, think about what kinds of weather could destroy it?". This was easy for them to figure out so they chatted back and forth about rain, lightening, floods, etc. Then before we even read the passage of scripture for the lesson, Josiah said "You would not want to build your house on sand. It would wash away." Because I had studied the lesson earlier in the day, I knew the lesson was centered on Matthew 7:24-27.
24"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. 25The 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. 26But 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. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
I was so excited to see that the Holy Spirit was already working on Josiah's heart and there was a connection in place. I love when this happens!!! Then it got better! Ava Beth chimes in and says "Oh yeah! Remember the three little pigs and the only house that wasn't destroyed by the wolf was the one made of brick?". Needless to say, the lesson was a hit and it truly penetrated our hearts.
Since then, this lesson has stuck with me. As adults we miss this all the time. I see so many Christians who KNOW what the Bible says but they don't really live it. They crave change, they crave a "move" from God but they continually stay in the same rut. This has my name all over it! We choose so many things in life that have a foundation made of sand when we could choose something with a foundation made of ROCK! We do this with relationships, dating if you are a single person, obsession with sports, obsession with being fit and in shape (ding, ding, ding! that one was for me) church, hobbies, MONEY, jobs, social status, the type of homes we have, tv, etc. The list goes on and on. Where have we put our hearts? Our time? Our money?
Things can appear to be Godly when they're really not. People can speak "Godly" when they're really not. The only way we can know is by making sure our OWN foundation is secure. Too often I have thought I was where I needed to be because I felt like I was doing all the right things. Suddenly what I had put my security in was shaken. I have done this with relationships over and over again. I have allowed people to take the place of a lot of areas in my life where God should have been the one in control.
How can I daily ensure that my life is built upon the rock?
When the rain comes down and the flood waters rise, will I fall or will I stand?
Will I truly put my hope and trust in the WORDS of Christ or live life my way?
Will I hear His Words, put them into practice and stand on the ROCK?
Today I am praying that God will continue to guide me through His Word and remind me of those things I involve myself in that don't have a foundation of ROCK.
-Amanda
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