Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. Matthew 7:25 MSG

I grew up in the Midwest, and storms capable of producing funnel clouds were common. We experienced tornado watches and warnings so often that they didn’t induce much action on our part–sometimes only to take our glass of iced tea out to the porch to watch the storm roll in and monitor the rotation of the clouds for ourselves.

Tornadoes are harder to predict as far in advance as a winter storm or a hurricane, and the uncertainty lends itself to a general lack of urgency from locals. Despite that, everyone who lives in tornado alley knows what to do if the clouds start spinning and dropping from the sky. 

We know all of that because it’s been instilled into us from a young age. We practice tornado drills all the time at school, and we know how and where to take cover at home, too. Of course it’s up to the individual to put that knowledge into practice…or take one’s glass of iced tea and smartphone to the porch to watch the storm roll in and catch some great tornado footage.

Weathering any storm begins before the wind starts to blow and the sky goes dark. It would be unrealistic to expect an entire building full of elementary school students to know what to do in case of a tornado, so it’s talked about and practiced multiple times.

I’ve heard this saying a lot: “The best time to start was twenty years ago, but the second best time is today.” Building our lives on the firm foundation of Jesus is a process that best serves us from the beginning, but it’s never too late to start! Reading a chapter of Proverbs each day is a great idea, but if we never put into practice what we learn and walk in The Way of Wisdom, we’re no better than the amateur storm chasers in tornado alley who know how to take cover when the tornado sirens are blaring…but don’t. 

The Way of Wisdom doesn’t mean the absence of hardships! Sometimes you can see storm clouds on the horizon and know that a storm is brewing. Other times the sky is bright one minute and dark the next, and the next thing you know you’re taking cover as best you can right where you are and holding on for dear life. One thing is for certain: if you’re a human on this earth you have and will continue to encounter storms. What’s one way you can start (or continue!) building your house on the Rock today?