All Other Ground is Sinking Sand:

There is a famous hymn that says, “On Christ, the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”  I have heard it many times in the past,  but I have not spent much time reflecting on it until I heard it in a new light and way while reading the book, “Letter to my Daughter,” by Maya Angelou.  I love Maya Angelou.  I love reading her books, and I love how much wisdom she has to share in her life. The quote in the book which was a part of a poem was, “I am a builder Sometimes I have built well, but often I have built without researching the ground upon which I put my building. I raised a beautiful house and I lived in it for a year.  Then it slowly drifted away with the tides for I had laid the foundation upon shifting sand.”  I read those lines in that poem, and it instantly inspired me to write this blog post.    

This, of course, can not be a truly good Christian blog post unless there is a verse from the Bible.  The hymn does take its reference from a parable in the Bible from Matthew 7:24-27.  I will quote the first two verses.   “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 found on a rock.”  The second half of this section in the Bible is like the builder that Maya Angelou described.  A builder who didn’t have a solid foundation, and then when the storms came, so did the house.  All of this seems fairly simple, but when really taking the time to think about how important a solid foundation is, we really do need to make sure that we have one in our Christian faith.  

This got me thinking that there are many things that I can start to build.  I wouldn’t say that I am a “builder” in the sense that I enjoy making structures.  However, I love to build up my life in the way that I believe it should be.  I love to be organized, and I love to get extra work done and create a schedule where I can get a mass amount of work done.  I can try to make the most and best lesson plans or the best blog posts or get the most books read etc.  All of that is good, and it is important to work hard.  God has given me the job that I have for a reason, and I should honor him with my work ethic.  However, it is caring about working hard and being seen as the best teacher on my own merits as opposed to having God work through me when it becomes a problem.  Then there will be something that will happen, a lesson plan will go wrong, I will receive a bad note from a parent, I will have a whole class upset with me, and I will start to feel like the sand is coming inwards and I am no longer on solid ground.  

So we need to check our ground first.  How would I suggest that?  I would suggest doing a heart check.  I would make sure that our hearts are in a good place and that our overall desire is to focus on the Lord and what his overall purpose for us is.  Besides my teaching job example, I also love to run, and yes I do in part love to run for myself, but is being a runner my complete identity?  Do I consider when I finish a race and do really well as part of who I am instead of just simply finding enjoyment out in the creation that the Lord has given me? Do I thank the Lord for my ability to run a half marathon, or do I simply just believe that I can get there on my own?  If I am looking at running or any particular activity that I am doing as an achievement of my own will, then I may need to complete a heart renovation.  

Then we need to spend some time in the Word.  This is what we are building our foundation and our life on.  How are we supposed to know what we are supposed to build off of if we never spend time? I know that it can be incredibly difficult to spend time in God’s word.  There are so many pieces that are hard to understand and are hard to piece together.  This is especially true if you are reading in the Old Testament where there was old Hebrew law, and people were allowed to make sacrifices.  It can be incredibly jarring.  I have discovered that I love to complete devotionals with a devotional guide to help lead me in my understanding of what the Bible is saying.  Talking the Bible over with a friend or a mentor is also incredibly helpful.  Bible studies with fellow believers are my absolute favorite, and it is incredibly refreshing to grow closer to God with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.   

Thirdly,  I think that it is important to pray.  I especially believe that one needs to pray with two goals in mind.  The first is thankfulness to the Lord for the ability and the possibility to do all the things that you want to do, whether this is run, or sing, or make music, or read, or write, your particular job, etc.  It is important to thank the Lord for all that he has given and will continue to give.  Then the second part is to pray that you keep Him in mind, whenever you are doing something and not just thinking of yourself.  

I do want to remind everyone, that this is not saying that we will never come across hard times.  Just because we build our house on nothing but the Lord, doesn’t mean that we won’t have trials and tribulations.  In fact, God guarantees that we will fall on rough times.  However, it is important to build yourself on God because when those hard times do come, you will not be shaken down or crumble. You will be able to stand through those rough waters and those harsh winds.  My challenge for you this week is to think of something that you may have started putting a foundation on.  Again, this can be any of your hobbies, your job, your relationship, etc.  I then want you to spend time in prayer over that particular piece of your life.  This is probably not a negative item in your life.  It is most likely a positive, but it shouldn’t be your life.  Pray to God, thanking him for whatever it is you are building off of, and ask him to help you make it a part of your house, not the foundation.