A Sure Foundation; the Basis for Life and Living
Posted: Friday, February 18, 2011
by Carol Allen Anfinsen
AnfinsenArt
The new stadium for the Boston Red Sox summer training camp is underway here in Fort Myers after a much heralded groundbreaking ceremony. But several months have gone by, and there’s still little to show for it, at least above ground. The foundation, the stage that requires the most planning and time, is almost invisible to passersby.
Commonly known as “infrastructure,” this phase includes the planning committees, local leaders, legislators, proposals and bids for the building; acquiring the required legal bonds, certificates, licenses, funds and property. Once the architectural plans have been approved and the grounds acquired, only then does the actual construction begin; a transition period that includes ground clearing, laying the systems for underground water pipes and cables, and the tunnels to protect them.
The foundation may take several months before it’s completed. Then comes the concrete flooring and the steel support beams. When the walls finally go up, the rest of the structure seems to unfold at a rapid pace that is until the finishing details kick in. The final detail work requires many hands, many contracts, companies, and an overseer with tremendous patience and fortitude.
Watching the changing scenery and activity unfold as I drive by each day got me to thinking. Without a “sure foundation,” a solid underpinning, our lives could not go forward “according to plan” (either our plan or God’s). We would end up floundering through life, following the streams or currents of popular opinion on a trip to nowhere.
To succeed in life we need a goal or a plan. We can choose our own based on personal wants and desires or we can work with God in developing a plan that will lead to our fulfillment and success. If we choose to “go it alone,” we may risk all in the process. Without a strong foundation or basis on which to build, there is nothing to support our efforts; nothing to sustain us when difficulty comes.
In Luke 6:46-49 Jesus said: “And why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever comes to me and hears my sayings, and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock; and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
But he who hears, and does not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the sand; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”
But he who hears, and does not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the sand; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”
As a child, this story reminded me of the card houses I used to build for fun. I could use a whole deck of cards and need more for the sprawling rooms and houses I built. But if I tried to add a second story, my card house was sure to fall. The “why” was obvious: there was no foundation to support it. There was no solid anchor to hold my elaborate house together.
The Bible refers to Jesus as the “chief cornerstone.” According to Webster, a cornerstone is “the most basic element.” If we build our foundation on him and upon the principles he taught us to live by, we have “a sure foundation” that will sustain us through the storms of life.
My favorite hymn goes like this: “How Firm a Foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! What more can He say than to you He hath said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?”
“Fear not, I am with thee; oh be not dismayed, for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid; I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand.”
“Fear not, I am with thee; oh be not dismayed, for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid; I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand.”
I had a “near-death” experience many years ago. During my hospitalization, I knew that I could die at any moment, yet I felt no fear. I was absolutely at peace. I had put my life in God’s hands. I knew if I lived, it would be okay, and if I died it would be okay. I trusted in his will and felt an exquisite peace surrounding me.
All my fears were gone, but I didn’t realize until much later why. It was because my “sure foundation” my entire being was dependent on the grace of God and his will for my life. He was my light in darkness, my joy and my strength; my all in all. He was the very foundation, the cornerstone of my existence, and so I put my trust and faith in him and he sustained me.
“When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie, my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply: The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design your dross to consume and your gold to refine.”
I had severe blood poisoning; gangrene had set in, but I was made whole. “The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to its foes; that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!”
Do you notice how many times in the hymn Jesus reminds us that he will not desert us, “no never” (repeated three times); and what is the criteria? It is “Our faith and dependence on him.” He will not desert us nor forsake us if we put our faith and our trust in him. I’m alive today because I put my trust in him and waited upon his will.
In a world of chaos, risk and fear, we need a sure foundation an “ever present” relationship with our God and Savior to sustain us. All he asks is for our faith and trust in him. It is as easy as belief; as simple as reaching out to a friend. What is there to fear?
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