Solid as a Rock

Okay so I am fully aware this is a title of a Michael W. Smith song and I know it was also a Kanakuk summer theme in the 90's, but this post isn't about either of those things. God has recently been teaching me that I don't have to be solid as a rock all the time or be the rock that people (and myself) depend on - He has to be my one and only rock in every aspect of my life not just the parts I choose to let Him be my rock.

Recently, I have been very convicted of how I am the rock for not only myself, friends but also family. I use the term rock because a rock is something that is hard, firm, solid, and most of the time it doesn't break, and I am all of those things and more when something challenging, tough, or bad comes along. I am always the person who will make sure everyone is okay before seeing if I am okay, and while that isn't a bad trait I tend to take it to the extreme. A lot of times in a challenging, tough or bad situation I detach my emotions from the situation altogether, again not a bad trait but I don't usually ever allow my emotions to be - I just ignore them. So a lot of times in a challenging, tough or bad situation I will just be very matter of fact about it with no emotions whatsoever - this making me hard like a rock. God has shown me that I do this because I don't trust Him enough to be my rock in every aspect of my life, which is a very humbling thing to realize. But even harder to come to terms with and actually do something about it especially when you are a control freak.

The verse that has been stuck in my head all day long is Matthew 7:24-26
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 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. 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."

While this is a verse I have known of since elementary school when we sang a song based off of this verse, it is a verse that only recently have I come to understand it's true meaning. A large part of my life is honestly built on the rock foundation like the wise man house, in that it is built on Christ's truth and love for me. But there are parts of my life that I still continue to build on the sand. My sand comes in many different forms - trusting myself, finding my identity in what the world says about how I should look or act, friends, family, job, insecurity, having to be perfect, and control. It is a daily struggle to not build on the sand, but to build on my rock, Jesus, but I know in the end He has to be the rock not me.

Where are you building house? On the rock of Christ of in the sands of the world. Just like the verse says, "the rains came down, the stream rose, and the winds blew and beat up against the house; yet it did not fall"