I have always been fearful of stumbling upon a hidden bed of quicksand. I know, I know. You don’t hear a lot of stories about people in the South sinking in quicksand very often. And, yes, I did grow up in the South. I really don’t know how this unfounded fear began. Maybe I saw one too many Tarzan movies when I was growing up. I saw trees and quicksand in Tarzan’s jungle, and I saw trees in the woods around my house, so I just assumed that the beds of quicksand must be lurking nearby just waiting to trap me and pull me under.
Call me crazy or maybe just dramatic. I have been known to have quite an imagination; however, the worry of quicksand was very real to me. Thankfully, I have grown out of that fear as I have gotten older. I don’t fall asleep worrying about stepping in quicksand anymore, but when I see someone on television or in the movies who has fallen in that trap, it still makes my skin crawl. I want to stand up and yell, “See, it really could happen!”
Fear. It has a way of taking over our mind and our thinking. It has a way of binding us up and keeping us from being free to move…..kind of like quicksand. Our fears are often unfounded, yet other times they are very real. Fear is usually accompanied by it’s faithful sidekick, worry. Like Batman and Robin, fear and worry work together to completely dominate a person’s thinking. Pretty soon after they start to work in someone’s mind, that paralyzed feeling sets in….again, kind of like quicksand. When you feel paralyzed with fear and worry, you can’t move forward, it even becomes a struggle to look up for help.
I know that feeling. It is even more scary than a bed of quicksand. Our world today just gives us so many reasons to have fears and worry. Uncertainty about the future as well as disappointment in life can really paralyze our hope in seeing a brighter future ahead. We might even begin to think that God is missing in action or not big enough to handle the weight of our problems.
Well, I am here today reminding myself…and hopefully you…that God IS big enough to handle the weight of anything I can pile on him. The only catch, I need to make sure that I am standing on his foundation when I make my pile. When I woke up today thinking about sinking in a bed of problems, God quickly reminded me of standing on a rock. I got my coffee and my Bible and read Matthew 7:21-27.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name, drive out demons and perform miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘ I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell to the ground with a great crash.”
The Bible then goes on in verse 28: “When Jesus had finished saying these things, that the crowds were amazed at his teachings, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”
Jesus had authority alright. He wrote the law; they just didn’t realize it yet. In this story Jesus is clear that no matter what your foundation is made of, we will all face rain, rising water, and wind. I believe that means that we will all face problems. Some problems feel lighter than others, but at some point in life we all feel scared of something. There will be times when we feel trapped like we are sinking, BUT if our foundation is built on HIM, he is promising us that we will not go under. Our windows may rattle from the wind; we may have a leak in our roof from all the rain; people may notice the sandbags we have stacked to stop the rising water from coming in, but no matter the weight of our problems, our foundation of rock will keep our life from caving in.
Many times everyday I fail to rely on the strength of my foundation. Today God has reminded me that my trust should be in his strength not my own, so I have nothing to fear. Jesus said, “…everyone who hears these teachings of mine and puts it into practice would be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” No storm, no wind, no flood, not even quicksand can make me fall or ever take me under.
Funny thing about a foundation. You cannot tell what the foundation of a house is made of just by looking at it quickly from the outside. The same is true for a person. You cannot tell what foundation a life is built on by a quick glance either. But by watching a life over time, especially when the rain pours down, and the winds beat against it, and the water rises high, the real foundation of the person becomes evident.
Be on guard. Jesus was very clear when he told this story and he began by reminding us that some people think they have built a foundation on rock when in reality it is a foundation of sand. No one knows what your foundation is made of but you and God. You can tell everyone you meet that your foundation is 100% rock, but you cannot fool the one who created you. Make your actions line up with your foundation. If you say that you are a Christian, be one all of the time. Mixed messages only discourage other believers and hinder the cause of Christ. Be honest with people and honest with yourself. Put into practice doing good, not evil; act consistently like the wise man whose house was built on rock instead of sand.
With my fear of quicksand, I sure don’t want to worry about a foundation that could pull me under. Not when something so strong and sturdy as rock is available at my request. So as life’s storms beat against me, I may feel drenched from the rain, appear paralyzed by the rising waters, and look windblown by the heavy gusts that come my way, but thank you, Jesus, that my foundation will never let me fall. Fear and worry may win for a season, but I have it on good authority that a foundation of rock will stand the test of time.
