Sinking Sand

Earlier this year, one Sunday morning we talked about the wise man and the foolish man - a parable of Jesus from the Bible.  The foolish man built his house on the sand.  When the storm blew in, his house and home were lost.  In contrast, the wise man built his house on the rock where it was able to withstand the storm.

I have been thinking about Oh! so many different tangents that follow this story.  Applications to my life and my heart.  I will share some of them here - and see if you can follow my crazy line of thinking.

First is the obvious - what am I trusting in? Living a life here on this earth requires we have an understanding of eternity.  Jesus phrases it "abide in me".   He says, "I am the vine; you are the branches."  When a decision comes - when a societal issue arises - when it comes to my interaction with my children and my neighbors - am I basing my conversation on a life that abides in Jesus Christ.  Is my mind filled with the wisdom that comes from Scripture? Psalm 1 talks about a tree that is planted by the rivers of water that yields fruit in season.  So, I ask myself - where am I getting my counsel from? my delight?  If I am wise, I will look to the law of the Lord and meditate on it.  All too often we look at the immediate because that is all we see in front of us.  Our decisions come from what we think is right - or how a decision will makes us feel or will make someone else feel.  God is interested in our feelings, but He is most interested in justice and mercy and humility.  Faith in God causes us to pause and an understanding the Scripture causes us to remember.

Spiritually speaking, we could look like this when we trust in the name of the Lord:

As Paul exhorted us "having done all, to stand."  

There is a person in that lighthouse.  Do you see him? How small he looks compared to the roaring sea. The crashing waves.  Despite the sturdy workmanship of the lighthouse, he still appears to be in danger.

This led me to another strain of thought.  Life is perilous at times.  Don't jump ship!  Trust in the name of the Lord our God!  We are not the lighthouse.  God is the lighthouse.  God is our refuge and strength - a very present help in times of trouble.

I love this old hymn - "The Lord's our rock in Him we hide. A Shelter in the time of storm. Secure whatever ill betide. A shelter in the time of storm.  Jesus is the rock in a weary land, a weary land, a weary land. Oh, Jesus is the rock in a weary land. A shelter in the time of storm."

Isn't that precious truth? I'm weary - and I've capitalized on that recently listening to Worn by Tenth Avenue North. 

(What's that? you want to hear the song? … ok, we've got time for that…

This link will take you to their Godtube video.  I'll wait...

Worn by Tenth Avenue North

Moving on...)

Don't get me wrong.  I enjoy and appreciate this album and Worn in particular.  What I realized is this, recently,  my focus has been wrong.  My mountain lodge is about to become a beach condo.  What is all this focus on me - on  my feelings - on my strength… No, no! We may be in a weary land, but the subject of that sentence is Jesus!!  Focus on where our strength comes from.  Focus on the miracle of the shelter.  Turn your eyes to the one who is walking on the water!! 

Once my sister shared an analogy with me.  Something she used to explain her walk with the Lord.  She explained that she pictures her walk with the Lord like a harbor.  When you're in the harbor, you can see how far you've drifted from the dock.  In the harbor there is safety.  But there is a lure to the open waters.  something that tugs at you.  However, when you turn and set your sights out on the sea, you can be miles away and have no real idea how far you've been swept.   Only once you navigate back to the harbor can you see how far you'd gone.

From sinking sand, He lifted me!!  He will lift you too.  

Psalm 31: 1-3

"In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame;

In Your righteousness deliver me!

Incline Your ear to me; rescue me speedily!

Be a rock of refuge for me; a strong fortress to save me!

For You are my rock and my fortress; and for Your name's sake You lead me and guide me

You take me out of the net they have hidden for me; 

For You are my refuge."

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

I had the great privilege of working in the largest gallery of inspirational art in the southern United States during the mid-1990's.  Because I was on the custodial crew, I was able to observe and study these paintings and sculptures while no one else was in the building.  There were some paintings that were as small as a street sign, but many of these portraits would fill your entire wall - if it would fit in your house at all.

There was one room that was a particular favorite of mine.  The room was bright - the walls light blue - and it was at the very end of the hallway.  The artists were European from the 19th century.  I've decided to post a few here today.  Take a moment to ponder each one.  There is nothing I could say that would say more than the artists strokes themselves.

Vashti Refuses the King's Summons, Edwin Long RA.  Long is also known for a portrait of Queen Esther and the Babylonian Marriage Market.

Martin Luther Discovering Justification by Faith, Edward Matthew Ward

The Martyrdom of St Perpetua and St Felicitas, Felix Louis Leullier


I came away from this room with the determination that making the right choice could mean you lose everything.  That there is more to this life then my will and my plan. And that there is something worth dying for.  Each of the people represented in these paintings were suddenly given a choice - the decisions they made in turn changed each of their lives forever.  I pray that when the time comes - the choice I make will reveal the person of Jesus Christ at work in my life. What does the Lord require? to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.