Apr
27
2018

Walking, Sinking, Standing

Posted in Faith | Leave a comment

I went up to the front door of the house.
I was still in the clothes I wore to church.
I was wearing dress shoes.
The shoes had two-inch heels.

The heels were not the problem.
I have worn these dress shoes before.
It was the ground I was walking on that presented a problem.
The ground and the shoes were not compatible.

I like to wear comfortable shoes.
I like to wear my sneakers when I walk each morning.
I like to wear walking sandals in the warmer weather.
I like to wear walking shoes that I know will go the distance.

However, on Sunday morning, when I am dressing for church, the shoes are different.
The shoes are dress shoes.
They are not shoes to go the distance.
They are shoes that are only to be worn for a short time.

It was the skinny heel that caused the problem.
I had to walk on a brick walkway.
The bricks were laid expertly in a sand base.
There was no solid place to put my entire shoe.

Part of my shoe was on the brick.
Part of my shoe sank in the sand.
The two inch heel continued to sink in the sand each time I took a step.
I thought that I would shift myself over a bit and walk on the grass.

That decision proved just as frustrating.
The two-inch heel sank in the grass.
I had no solid footing as I walked from the driveway to the front door.
Finally, I reached the cement pad in front of the door.

I hit my shoe against the cement to make sure no sand or mud was stuck to the bottom.
The shoe was clean.
I entered the house.
I wiped my feet on the rug inside the door.

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24-27)

I thought about what we are to build our lives upon.
I have heard the words of Jesus telling us to build our house on rock.
I have known those words by reading them many times and hiding them in my heart.
That particular day, I understood those words experientially.

That particular day, I struggled with the stability of the ground under my feet.
My heels sank into the sand over and over again.
My heels sank into the grass over and over again.
There was nothing solid on which to stand.

Many people live their lives on shaky ground.
Perhaps, they are standing on their own ability.
Perhaps, they are standing on the strength of others.
Perhaps, they are standing on the past and the way it was in the good old days.

People are looking for solid ground and not finding it.
Sand sifts right through your fingers.
Grass is unstable if it is muddy or if there are ruts here and there.
People struggle to put their feet down on something solid.

None of us like to walk on ice for fear of falling.
None of us like to walk in mud for fear of sinking.
None of us like to walk on sand because it shifts beneath our feet.
Our foundation of choice is always solid ground.

God’s Word makes that quite clear
Our spiritual life is no different.
We need solid ground on which to stand.
We need to stand on solid rock.

That solid Rock is Jesus.
We can stand on Him with confidence.
We can stand on Him with surety.
We can stand on Him and know that we are secure.

There are storms in this life.
There are difficulties and hard times.
Walking with Jesus does not remove the storms, difficulties, and hard times.
Walking with Jesus gives us sure footing through them.

Our feet do not turn.
Our feet are firmly planted on the Rock on which we stand.
Our feet do not sink.
Our feet walk securely.

As I shifted my feet and walked on the grass, I felt my heel catch on something.
Buried in the grass was a stone.
It was not large enough to stand on.
It was just enough to catch my heel and rip the leather.

It was just a short walk from the driveway to the front door.
It was a living parable.
It brought Jesus’ words to life.
I have no desire to walk on sand or unstable ground.

I want to walk on solid ground.
I want to stand on solid Rock.
I want to stand on Jesus and His Word.
Jesus is the solid Rock on which I stand.

On what do you stand?

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http://www.whispersofhismovement.com/book/

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