A Resilient LifeSýnishorn

Building on the Rock

You may know the story of the three little pigs that each built a house of a different material: straw, wood, and brick. A wolf, who was chasing them, managed to knock down the first two, forcing the little pigs to flee to the one with the brick house. When the wolf got to the brick house, he blew and blew harder than before, but the bricks did not move a single millimeter. The little pigs sat down to celebrate the resistance of the house, with the joy of being safe.

This simple story has a lot to teach us about what it takes to live a resilient life. Matthew 7 tells us a similar story, that of a wise man who built his house on the rock, and a foolish man who built his on the sand. Jesus tells us that those who put into practice what they have heard from Him are those who build on solid rock.

The rain may fall, or the economy explodes, or situations might arise to steal our faith and deplete our energy so that we cannot go on. But the desire of God's heart for us is that we live a life that is resilient, firm, constant, and stable in the things of God. He desires that we remain faithful and persevere, despite the adversities and temptations that may come our way.

What are you building your life on? Your gifts and talents? Your resources?

Jesus tells us that a resilient life is achieved by applying what He teaches. What is the use of knowing something if we do not put it into practice?

Our faith becomes visible outside the church (school, work, marriage) because that is where we have the opportunity to release the power of God's word by applying it.

Perhaps you feel that you have built your life on sand. Many say that living is like constructing a building, that if you start poorly, you will end up the same way. But because of our faith, we can always start over. That is the beauty of God's grace, that even if you have made a mistake, you can build again.

It is never too late to start building on the solid rock! If God does not give up on giving us more opportunities, why should we?

His mercy is new every morning, and it is never too late to start building. But on what foundation will you do it this time?