Is My Foundation Shaking?

"The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 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. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:25-26

As a new christian I am often worried that my foundation is not strong enough. She quotes scripture like a grocery list and all I know is "Jesus wept" because it's the easiest thing to memorize. She comes to Bible study looking like something out of a glamour magazine and it is all I can do to remember to wipe the baby throw up off my shoulder while making sure my flip flops match.

She sits beside me with her color coded Bible all marked up in perfect combinations of pink, blue, and green while mine is filled with sticky notes and I am sure that is a blob of jelly on the Proverbs 31 page. She applies perfect pink lipstick with her perfectly manicured fingers sporting a matching pink color and is that a little gemstone on her pinkie nail? I quickly wash my hands with my gnawed up nails and wonder if the lipstick in the bottom of my purse is usable or did I buy it when the Osmonds were in vogue?

Dear sweet friend you are not alone in these thoughts. As a new christian, or an old one for that matter, we are all worried about how we look to other believers. Will someone point out your mistakes from the past? Probably. Will someone say you aren't good enough? Probably. Will you trip and fall on your way to the cross? Most definitely.

Remember this as you go through your day. Your Father in Heaven doesn't keep score. He doesn't care if you know one or one thousand scriptures. He doesn't care if you are dressed for success or can barely get yourself dressed. He doesn't care if you live in a mansion or if you barely have a pot for your potatoes. He doesn't look at what you have or who you are or where you went to school or what you do for a living. He only cares about what is inside your heart. He loves you just as much as the person next to you and the person next to them. Sins and all, chewed off nails and all, baby spit up and all.

The most important thing to remember as we walk through the storms of this life is that if we build our self esteem, if we build our daily tasks, if we build our family on the teachings and words of Jesus then no storm that the world can throw at us will knock that foundation out from under us. We may get discouraged, we may get battered and bruised, we may even have to crawl back up into His arms but no one can ever take away how much He loves us and cares for us.

Dearest Father God, help us to not compare ourselves to other believers. Teach us to see that we are not all the same and that we aren't called to do the same things. Remind us that instead of throwing stones we can use them to make a sturdy path for others to walk on. (and for ourselves to walk on as well!) Show us how to keep building on the foundation of Your love for us so that we can stand strong and courageous when the winds of the adversary blow our way. We love you Father and we are so grateful for Your mercy. In the name of Christ Jesus we pray these things, Amen

ps....and Father....if You could see Your way to help me find the right shade of lipstick that would be so great. Thanks!

copyright2012 Michelle Welch, Breath Of Life Women's Ministries
photography by Michelle Welch, all rights reserved
scripture from NIV1984