Much of the training that goes on in the airline industry gears toward dealing with problems and troubles. They may teach you procedures to keep things orderly during confusion, or what actions to take in bad weather or emergencies. Many airlines now even train teams to assist after tragedies. Rarely do you ever hear of employees going to company trainings that teach them how to have a happy day or how to become problem free. This simply does not exist! Interestingly, most company trainings prepare their people to respond to things they hope will never happen. On a personal level, we do the same by purchasing insurance. We do so not because we hope to use it, but actually our wish is that we will not have to use it. Even with the best of preparations, things can catch us by surprise. It might be the discovery of a health problem or the sudden loss of a loved one or a financial collapse. Maybe it is an unexpected demotion at work or loss of job. Things of this nature remind us that life has encroaching storms that we are not aware of, which can disrupt our life. Humanly speaking, there is no one that has enough awareness or resources to prevent us from facing them. So how can we prepare ourselves for these storms?
On one occasion Christ related a story in Matthew 7:24-27 that compared building a house to having stability in life. He portrayed two men, each building a house with probably similar materials, but on two very different foundations. One was built on a rock where it could be fastened, and the other was built on sand where it could be swept away. Then Jesus said something that gives a real picture about life, “…then the rain, floods, and winds slammed against the house.” He implies that life is built in the path of storms. But He also is telling us that the lasting quality and fulfillment of what we build our lives upon is not found in the things themselves, but in the foundation upon which we build them. We are told that the things of this world are passing away. Not that these things are necessarily evil or wrong, but they are only temporary and momentary. When our life is built only on them, like the sand, they provide no foundation when the storms come, and all of life can easily be blown away.
Building your life on the right foundation doesn’t prevent the storms from coming, nor does it prevent you from feeling their hardship and loss. Building your life on the right foundation means that your life finds its security and fulfillment in God…even through life’s storms. Jesus ends this story by dividing humanity into two groups. There are those who act on behalf of their own interest with little or no regard for God, having no foundation that will see them through the storms; or those who build their life by daily responding to God, trusting His word, His will and experiencing His provisions. Which group would you say you are in? (PMC)
“He will be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.”(Isaiah 33:6)