“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.” Matthew 7:25

What is it about sand? Is it the soft, squishy texture between your toes on the beach? The mesmerizing effect of watching it sift through an hourglass? Maybe it’s the intricacy of sand art, whether it’s a vase into which your six-year-old “artfully” layered colored sand, the multi-turreted and -storied sand castle a professional constructed, or a Navajo sand painting in a southwest gift shop. Small children love the sandbox, and realizing parents hated sand in the carpet, toy manufacturers invented kinetic sand. Again, it's the texture; I defy even adults to resist playing with kinetic sand. 

Unless it is shellacked into place, though, sand does not keep its shape. Sure, your footprints might still be there when you reverse direction on the beach half an hour later. But they won’t be there for long. Water or wind will obliterate them. Sand sculptures - the toddler’s drip castle or the professional’s three-day construction - fall victim to the same fate. Sand obviously has its appeal, but it has serious shortcomings. It can never serve as a foundation for anything permanent. It shifts, it’s prey to wind and water, it cannot hold. 

That’s a pretty good symbol for trying to do things our own way, in our own “wisdom,” isn’t it? The sandy base looks like it will hold, so why not build there? No matter how expensive that custom home was to build, though, if its foundation is sand, it will topple. No matter how wise we seem in our own eyes, no matter how many self-help books we’ve read or TED Talks we’ve consumed, if our lives are built on worldly wisdom, we might be prepared for the gentle lapping of the waves which will tug at our shaky foundation.

But waves never stay gentle, do they? When trials come, they’ll reveal what’s underpinning our lives. When following our heart fails (and it will) or the self-help book isn’t much help after all, we discover we need a solid rock for our foundation. Then we won't topple. To stand firmly, we need Christ’s wisdom. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine,” Jesus says, “and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (7:24). 

Start building your firm foundation now (or continue to secure it if you’ve already begun). The Book of Proverbs offers Godly counsel. The Gospel of John showcases the words of Christ; let them be the cornerstone of your foundation. You want to be prepared for the “rain, streams, and wind” (7:25) that Jesus warned about. For if your foundation isn’t secure, well, just wait and see what the wind, waves, and storms of life will do to it. And they will come. But, praise God,