“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a 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 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 7:24-25
“What does my foundation look like, Jesus?”
That question was the beginning of what has been a breakthrough month in my walk with Christ. This breakthrough begins with a vision. I’m going to attempt to paint a word picture for you so that you can understand what God’s been showing me.
In this vision, I am desperately lost in a densely packed forest. There are rows upon rows of pine trees stretching to the sky, each row looking too similar to the last. As I look up, eery gray clouds begin to produce a sprinkle of rain. The light drizzle soon becomes a steady downpour. As panic fills my thoughts, I quicken my pace, hoping and praying for direction. Suddenly I see it. A clearing. I go from a brisk walk to an all out sprint. The tree line breaks, and I slowly come to a stop. In front of me I can see a log cabin. Quaint and quiet, this house is resting alone in this clearing that I had discovered. I immediately notice the smoke billowing from the cabin’s chimney. I am now acutely aware of the fact that I am very wet and very cold. I approach the cabin hoping for some shelter from the rain. As I climb the steps of the front deck and reach the door, I expect to knock but instead I grab the door handle and walk into the house as if I know who lives here. The door opens and I am greeted with a blast of warm air and the smell of burning wood coming from a fireplace to my left. Straight ahead, in what looks to be a kitchen, stands a middle aged bearded man. Seeing him I think to myself, “I know this man. I’ve known him for a long time, but we aren’t very close.” He turns and greets me with a warm smile, and asks me if I’d like some tea as if he’d been expecting me. I kindly accept and take a few steps further into this house. The man, with a slightly southern accent, says to me, “Go on upstairs, and get cleaned up a bit. The tea is just about finished. I’ll call ya when it’s ready.” He motions towards a staircase between the living room and the kitchen area. I make my way passed the crackling fireplace, and make it to the stairs. All the time attempting to remember this kind man’s name. At the top of this staircase was a hallway with three separate doorways. As I walk down this corridor, I notice a note on the last door to my left. The note reads, “I have prepared a place for you.” I knew immediately that this note was for me. This man was giving me a place to stay. I have a bedroom in this safe haven and I have extended shelter from this storm. As I peeled the note off of the door, I began to realize who this bearded man was. It was Jesus.
There is so much symbolism in this vision. I have known Jesus for a long time, but we’ve never truly been close. He seeks intimacy with me. The last few weeks have looked like me spending quality time with Jesus in this house, and getting to know him. We sit at the dining room table, drink sweet tea, and chat. I have witnessed so much fruit from these conversations.
Let me premise the rest of this story with this: another piece of symbolism that I had pieced together was that this house that I’m in represents my faith. One day I was having my quiet time and taking some intentional time to talk with Jesus. I came across a passage in Luke where it talked about laying your foundation. As I read that, I looked across the table at Jesus and asked, “What does the foundation of this house look like?” He answered immediately saying, “Let’s go take a look.”
Jesus sent me back in time to when this house was being built. I see a massive hole in the ground where the foundation was planning to be laid. As I look down into this gaping hole, I notice that it isn’t completely empty. There are three massive rocks laying deep within the dirt. I looked at Jesus, a bit confused, and he said to me, “These rocks represent anxiety, pride, and comparison. They are at the core of who you are. You had good intentions when attempting to lay your foundation upon me, but you left these things present in your life. Until these rocks are removed, the foundation of you house is going to be weak.” I took a step back, a little overwhelmed, but Jesus approached me, put his arm around me, and said, “These rocks are big, and there is no way that you could get rid of them on your own, but I’m here and we’re going to work to conquer these things together.”
I was filled with a new found determination and confidence. I knew that with Jesus, I could conquer these strongholds in my life. I chose to start with anxiety. The spirit of anxiety has had an impact on my thoughts and actions for years and that impact had only escalated on the race. Fear of the future and of decisions that would have to be made had risen up. I was constantly anxious about my standing as a “leader on the squad,” and about other’s opinion of me. Jesus told me that if I wanted to see freedom from anxiety, I was going to have to take my eyes off of the things of this earth (i.e. myself), and start focusing on him. I began praying fervently for freedom, and for peace. I expected to walk away immediately finding what I was looking for but it didn’t happen right away.
It was during a quiet time a few days later when I truly experienced what I had been praying for. I had woken up that morning feeling different, but couldn’t put a finger on what exactly had changed. It was in the moment that I opened my Bible that I was smacked with a joy and peace beyond comprehension. I went back to my house with Jesus and peered into the hole, and found that where there once were three rocks, now only two remained. The rock that had represented anxiety had been obliterated. I can truly say that I have walked in freedom from anxiety since that moment. I have claimed that freedom in the name of Jesus, and satan cannot use that lie against me any longer.
I share all of this with you in hopes that it encourages you in some way. Jesus and I are building my foundation upon truth and love. He is taking away the lies that I have told myself, and is filling me with his loving kindness. He is doing this within me, and he wants to do it within you as well. Ask him to reveal those aspects of your life that are holding you back from being intimate with him. Once he has revealed those things to you, ask him to help you remove those stumbling blocks from your life. He is more than capable and more than willing to do so.
I also want to challenge anyone out there who can relate to my story. Jesus wants so desperately to get to know you. Let him in. Give him a chance because the relationship that he seeks with you is so much greater than anything else in this life. He offers peace. He offers joy. He offers grace, and he tells us that he will be with us always.
