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"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock."
- Matthew 7:24, 25 NASB
"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds."
- I Corinthians 3:10 NIV
For several months now, I am sure you all have observed the mountainous mounds of dirt that greet you as you enter the Chatham Parkway campus. At first the mounds were encouraging signs that construction has begun on the Fine Arts/Athletic facility. But months later, they are still there and to the casual observer just driving by progress seems slow to non-existent. Occasionally, I will get questions with a not so subtle implication like, What’s taking so long? Nothing’s goin’ on! Oh, contraire, my friend. A firm foundation is being laid.
Below ground level, invisible to the casual observer, vast amounts of infrastructure are meticulously being laid. Over 200 auger cast pilings were driven into the ground at various levels of 30 to 40 feet deep. These holes with steel cages then inserted are reinforced with tons of poured concrete. Also, as part of the weight bearing foundation, grade beams are formed as footprints for the inner and outer support walls. These forms are filled with over 80,000 pounds of steel rebar and then concrete is poured on top of this. These grade beams actually act as anchors to the entire building. Once the grade beams are poured, then the dirt you see will be back filled into the holes, with a compaction inspection at every 12 inches. When the firm foundation passes inspection, vertical construction can begin.
Do you see the metaphor for us all? As parents, we are responsible for building a firm foundation for our children, spiritual as well as educational. Every one of us lives our lives, however consistently or inconsistently, on the basis of some foundational beliefs, upon some set of presuppositions that we consider true. These beliefs formulate our worldview, whether they are intentionally developed and learned, or “caught” as one catches a cold or the flu.
At SCPS, we want to come along side our parents and help build on the foundation that they, along with their church, are building in the lives of the children. According to Matthew 7:24 that foundation consists of hearing and heeding the words of Christ. We all must be diligent to be wise builders, whether we are building our own lives, our children’s or even our grandchildren’s. A firm foundation is critical to right standing whether it is a building or a life. And when the storms of life come sweeping over us, as we know they will, the house or the life will not fall.
Prayer: O heavenly Father, Lord of light and love, You have shown the faithful how to build and grow. Teach us, Oh Lord, to build on a firm foundation that will stand against the storms of life. By Your abundance grace, may we have the wisdom, the patience and the understanding to build carefully and wisely each day. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
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