M-Note 1.19.2022

By Matt Miofsky

The house next door to mine is being torn down to make room for a new one. They are currently digging out and pouring the foundation for the new structure, and it is taking a long time. Every day at 7am there are bulldozers digging, men forming up the new foundation, or concrete trucks backing in to pour. Just this past week, they finally removed the forms to reveal all the fresh concrete. It has taken months for them to get to this point. Many weeks, it looked like nothing had really changed. Despite workers showing up every day, there wasn’t much evidence that they were making any kind of progress. But underneath the surface, literally, they were constructing a solid foundation for all that would be built.
 
As I watch this every day, I can’t help but think of the closing story that Jesus tells in his most well-known sermon. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, he tells the crowd to listen to him! And then he tells a story of two home builders. One took a lot of time in the desert to dig and dig until he hit bedrock, so that he could establish his house on a firm foundation. The other builder went straight to work, building his house right on the sand. This second approach certainly was cheaper, faster, and allowed more time and money for nicer finishes or more square footage. Compared to the first builder’s progress, which was likely slow, meticulous, and more costly. Jesus tells the crowd that the result was largely the same. Both houses got built, both were nice, both functioned fine, at least for a while. But eventually the rains fell, floods came, and the wind whipped up and beat against the house. The first house stood firm, because its foundation was on rock. But, the second house fell and was destroyed.
 
Then, Jesus gets direct. Those who listen to him are like the first builder, with a life that will be rooted in something strong and lasting. Those who don’t? They are like that second builder, racing ahead to build a life but neglecting the foundation. Things may be fine for both kinds of people, at least for a while. But, when the challenges, trials, and the storms of life come, our foundation matters.
 
There is no question that we are collectively in a stormy season of life. If January 2022 has been hard for you, just know you aren’t the only one. But, I do think this season is revealing something about our lives. This challenging season has revealed strengths in our foundation but also those places of weakness. Faith is important all the time but never so much as when we are struggling. And yet, faith is easy to neglect. Today, maybe you are sensing that neglect in your own life and relationship with God. The good news is this: it is never too late to reinvest in that foundation. There is never a time when it is too late to turn back toward our faith.
 
This past Sunday, I needed worship. I was discouraged. I was frustrated. And I needed to be reminded that God is real, God is still active, and God is at work even right now. Maybe you need that same reminder. This week, I encourage you to consider your foundation. Have you neglected it at all? Could it use some repair and strengthening? Is it time for you to focus back on your faith? If so, I would love for you to join me as in worship at The Gathering. You can join me in person at one of our sites or online. Together, let’s support one another as we make sure our lives are sitting on something strong and sure, something that can withstand the current challenge, and get us through whatever lies ahead.
 
Peace,