Built To Last

Have you ever seen houses that were totally destroyed from a storm? The foundation of the house may or may not have been left. Possessions were strewn everywhere and the place was unrecognizable. In fact, sometimes it doesn't even look like a house was there. Storms affect everything in its path one way or the other. Storms can cause severe damage! Sometimes storms are predicted by the weather forecast and other times they are not. We may know someone personally or seen someone on the news talk about how a tornado came through their town unexpectedly. They were asleep or going about their normal day when all of a sudden it happened. Just like tornadoes and hurricanes can happen, storms in our life can happen too. Like the tornado, the storms can come unexpected in our lives. Storms, such as sickness, loss of loved ones, sudden decrease in salary or no salary, or change in relationship status are real and can happen quickly. They can catch us off guard. One minute you have everything you need and the people in your life close to you, the next minute you don't. The storms of life can leave us questioning everything and everything being all over the place. They can be strong, crushing and damaging. Some storms can be so intense and hard that we don't even know if we can make it through. Can I tell you that when my Dad passed away unexpectedly at the age of 49 from a massive heart attack that I didn't know if I would make it or not? Can I also tell you that I felt like my world and my family's world was falling apart? I loved my Daddy and I was thinking how could this be happening right now. At the age of 18 when my Dad passed away, it was the first sudden storm that I had encountered up to that point in my life. Since then, I've gotten stronger and know God has been carrying and growing me. I didn't know it then, but I realize it now. God had built me to go through and I'm so glad I'm still here to tell you my story! No, I'm not perfect, but I'm thankful for the progress and change. I'm not the same Jennifer I used to be! In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus told a story where there were two different houses built. One man built his house on the rock, while another man built his house on the sand. When the rain and wind from the storm came, the house on the rock stood standing, but the house on the sand fell down. You see, it all goes back to the foundation of the house. The house built on the rock was stronger and more stable than the house built on the sand. If any of you have built a sandcastle before, then you know it doesn't stay up too long, especially after a good wind comes through! The person who hears and does what the Word of God says is like the man that built his house on the rock. However, the person who only hears the Word, but doesn't live it is like the man who built his house on the sand. I don't know about you, but I want to be like the man who built his house on the rock. 2 Samuel 22:47 says, "The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation!" God is the Rock, so we know we'll be alright with Him. During the storms of life, we have to stand on God and His Word. God is stronger than any storm we face. The storms may shake us and even knock us down, but with God, we can bounce back up and keep going forward. He is with us the whole time in the storm and knew it was going to happen before we did. In the storms of life, we learn to appreciate who and what we have in our lives. We have to grow through our storm and lean on others who know God as their foundation. We learn to keep going no matter how slow it may seem. Forward is forward! We still have to hold our head up high. So many times I felt like (and did!) hold my head down when I was going through storms. God reminded me and sent others my way to remind me to hold my head up high. I was reminded not to walk around defeated because the storm didn't define me. God defined me! In fact, I have a news flash: the storm is not the end! I repeat: the storm is not the end. When we feel like it's over, done, no hope left, God steps in and shows us it's not over yet. To someone reading this right now, you need to know it's not over. I don't care what people have said, what you have told yourself, or what people haven't said; it's not over! A new start can happen after a storm. People who have lost homes in storms rebuilt new homes or moved to a new location. They had a new start. We will still have rough moments, times when we're crying and just have a hard time pushing through. I'm with you because I've been there too. But, when our foundation is built on God, we can go through and "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." (Ephesians 6:10). We were built to endure. Don't let your physical stature fool you. God in you is bigger than the storm. There can be a new beginning after the storm. So I encourage you to keep going. Our situations matter to God. God cares. I care. Remember God's got us and we are built to last!