Infrastructure.Something we take for granted.
Framework.
Roads.
Wires.
Roofs.
Foundations.
Bridges.
Cables and septic systems, furnaces, gas lines, phone lines, levees.
Things we don’t consider until they crumble and fail.
But when the ground shakes beneath us or the winds swirl above us or the waters rise around us and the rain beats down upon us, infrastructure is suddenly everything.
The flowers by the roadside, the paint on the walls, the manicured lawns, and the well-tended parks cannot save us in the storm if the barriers buckle and the roof caves and the walls crumble in.
Politicians cannot change the weather and no political party can legislate us out of a natural disaster. The President cannot sign a bill against floods and even the Marines cannot hold back a storm by force.
Weather reminds us that we are small and that any power we have is on loan from a Higher Power.
In the aftermath, that is when we are reminded to be grateful for those things we take for granted – a sturdy roof, a solid wall, a well-built road, a tested levee, a cable that holds.
Jesus believed in infrastructure.
He told the people following Him this story: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” Luke 6:46-49
It’s not enough to like Jesus.
It’s not enough to read blogs and attend church and stick a praise CD into your car’s sound system.
Jesus must be the bedrock on which your life is built and the stones of that foundation are put into place as you obey Him – as you do what He says.
You can have a cross around your neck, a WWJD bracelet on your wrist, a fish on the bumper of your car, and twenty Bibles in your home but if you aren’t doing what Jesus says, a storm’s going to come one day and your levee ain’t going to hold.
You will crumble.
There is no National Guard to police and repair your soul.
You need to be about Jesus when you’re all alone. When it’s you and Him facing the disrepair of your inner life, when He’s pointing out the weaknesses in the infrastructure of your soul – you have to be willing to choose Him over the comfort of putting off necessary overhauls for another day.
Another day will come with wind and rain and cold – and as the sand shifts beneath you and you fall under the waves, your past comforts will not keep you afloat.
Turn off the screens, pull away from all other voices, open the Bible and read about Jesus. Ask Him to show up for you. Read what He says to do and then get up and do it. No, it’s not that simple but yes, it is that simple.
The people impacted by Hurricane Sandy have seen the clutter of their lives swept away in only hours. What remains is their need for food, clothing, shelter, and, most of all, the people they love.
Jesus said some very radical things about life being more than food and clothes. That pagans run after such things but that we should seek His kingdom and trust Him to provide the rest. I am challenged by that passage every day.
I am challenged, too, to be sure that I am building my life on a solid foundation. That the infrastructure of my spirit holds because it’s all about Jesus – not just in word but also in practice.
Take a minute now from the busy-ness of your life and listen to the song in this video. As you listen, ask Jesus to show you how to make Him the foundation on which your house is built
Because, loved ones, a bigger storm is coming . . .
Is He already your foundation? Good. Ask Him to take you deeper . . .
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Vital challenge in these shifting sand times. Bigger storm coming for sure .
I was thinking about this very thing yesterday after a driver in the McDonald’s drive-thru cut me off, practically sideswiping my car. Frankly, I lost my cool, and then I said to myself later. What is wrong with me? I spent an hour in worship and was a better person for it. God bless you.
Thank you for this timely ‘parable’ from our world. I am pondering the application in my own life as I try to figure out how to save the song to listen to at the start of each day. 😉