When I was a young girl, my parents bought a house. At the time, we lived in a quaint two-bedroom home where the living room doubled as my bedroom and the only bathroom was located in my parent’s bedroom. These factors, a sloping kitchen floor, and perhaps others I’m not aware of led my parents to decide it was time for a larger home with room for our family to grow.
Because we lived on the family cattle ranch twenty-eight miles from the nearest town where our closest neighbors were my grandparents who lived two miles away but still on the same ranch, moving into a home somewhere else wasn’t an option. Thus, the house my parents bought had to be moved to the ranch from its original site.
Prior to the day of the big move, important steps were taken to prepare the building site for the house. The sod was ripped off exposing the dirt below and the dirt leveled. After the completion of the dirt work, the footings were poured making a solid base for the foundation to rest upon.
Then, block by block the men laid the foundation—each block being placed, leveled, and mortared methodically and painstakingly. Great care was taken to place each block exactly where it was needed so that the entire foundation would be sure for if a mistake was made, the entire foundation would be compromised rendering the home unstable and easily susceptible to damage.
Our hearts are much like the house my parents moved.
God wants to provide more space for life and growth in our hearts. Through the workings of the Holy Spirit, He removes the hard sod as well as any stones or pebbles and softens the dirt of our hearts so that they are receptive to Him. The footings are laid when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, and He becomes the foundation on which we build the home of our lives.
Our relationship with our Savior is a personal one that serves as a solid foundation for our lives.
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” ~ Psalm 18:2
In Hebrew, the verse begins with Jehovah Sali which literally means “The Lord My Rock.” If we have trusted Him as our Lord and savior, each of us can say, “He is my personal Lord and Rock, my foundation.”
Where we live the only rocks around are the small pebbles on the gravel roads or the decorative lawn ornaments which have been brought in from out of state. Because my children are unaccustomed to seeing rocks, their eyes filled with wonder at the rocks filling the ditches along the highway, the enormous rocks they could climb, and the giant slabs of rock sitting in the middle of rivers when we visited Yellowstone National Park.
These rocks were so big and solid, they were immovable. The wind caused by the passing vehicles didn’t stir them. The children clamoring up and sliding down the faces of the rocks did not shake them. The mighty river current did not carry the rocks downstream or even budge them.
Just like these massive rocks in Yellowstone National Park, Jehovah Sali is the immovable and unshakable Rock that will not be stirred by the winds of challenge, shaken by the clamoring of the world, or swept away in the current of culture. A relationship with “The Lord My Rock” is the solid footing on which we must lay the foundation of our lives and our families.
Once the footings of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ are laid, block by block, biblical truth by biblical truth, we can begin building a closer personal relationship with him as the foundation of our lives and our families.
Have you laid the footings of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in your own life?
If you ever have questions about a topic I write about or anything else for that matter, I’m happy to answer them or help you find answers.
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