²⁴ “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.” (Matthew 7:24)

 Was it so very long ago . . .

The child in us built sand castles

On the seashores of our youth,

And skipped stones upon water,

Awed at the extending ripples

Growing outward beyond us,

Wondering at their impact–

As sand castles washed away.

How much time do we spend on the shifting foundations we try to build in our adult lives, those “sand castles” that cannot maintain structural integrity—when, instead, we should turn our focus to the ripples that we can extend outward from ourselves to others?

“Skipping stones upon water.”

 “That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.² And great crowds gathered about Him, so that He got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ And He told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶ but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  ⁹ He who has ears, let him  hear.’ ” (Matthew 13: 1-9)

We do not have Christ directly before us in a boat extending ripples of wisdom outward to us, but we have the Word and the capacity to envision this scene. We have the ears to “hear.” And we have the ability and opportunity to be like Him through the ways we can individually reach out to others and find good soil to plant seeds. Every single person impacted, rippling outward to how many others over time?

 The “sand castles” we attempt to build in this life will not endure.

²⁴ “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. ²⁵ 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.²⁶ 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. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7: 24-27)

The foundation from God with Christ as the cornerstone is everlasting. Our focus doesn’t have to be on trying to hold the structure together when winds and rain come. We can, instead, place our time and energy on “skipping stones upon water” to reach outward and beyond self as Christ did during His time on earth.

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. ⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:3-5)

Skipping stones upon water,

Awed at the extending ripples

Growing outward beyond us,

Wondering at their impact—

Building upon the firm Rock

With focus, humility, and love.    

 

(Sharon G. Tate blog 01/27/19) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word