A ROCK OR THE SAND

HEART

My parents taught me a song when I was a kid, about a wise man who built his house on a rock, and a foolish man who built his house on the sand. Maybe you know the song I’m talking about. The rain came down and the flood came up. The house on the sand fell flat, but the wise man’s house stood strong on the rock.

Foundations are everything. Build your house, or your life, on a weak foundation, and it will crumble. The choices you make today determine the foundation you will build the rest of your life on. You have to decide if you’ll build your life on the rock or the sand. Storms will continue to come. When they do, will your house be strong enough to stand?

When I was doing research for this book, I found a study of nine fatherhood programs that identified some of the greatest challenges that the fathers in those programs were facing. Those challenges were unemployment, lack of money to buy things for their children, inability to pay child support, and trouble paying their bills. (Study by Dr. Jay Fagan and Rebecca Kaufman for The Fatherhood Research and Practice Network)

The truth is, behind every financial fear, there are work-related emotional and relational challenges that aren’t easy to solve without help. Maybe those challenges are similar to what you’re facing right now, or maybe your challenges are different. Whatever it is that you’re going through, you’re not alone. If you choose to follow Jesus, you are a son of God. Look to him for wisdom, and even rescue. There are many men in difficult circumstances, and those who choose strong foundations are still standing.

Back when I learned that song about the rock and the sand, my parents taught me something else that was deeply important. They taught me that the rock didn’t represent my own strength. The rock that the wise man built his house on was God, and the thing that kept his home together was building it on God’s strength and wisdom. The foolish man built his house on things that didn’t matter in the end, and he didn’t rely on God to hold his house together.

You may not feel ready for this child to come into your life, but if you build your house on the rock, you and your family can weather every storm that you face. There’s a heart beating with your name on it, and that heartbeat is calling you to trust in God and to rely on his strength instead of your own.

WORK

Each day, I’ve asked a few questions to help you think more deeply about the conversations we’ve started in this plan. Today, I’m going to skip those questions and ask you to continue these conversations in a different way. If you haven’t already, I want you to consider talking with a counselor, pastor, or trusted friend. I’d also encourage you to talk with someone at your local pregnancy resource center. They want to serve your whole family in any way that they can. You don’t have to do this alone.

You were born for this great call of being a dad. Your choice matters, your voice matters, and you have what it takes. I hope you build your life on the Rock, and I hope that you dare to be a dad.