October 16
Scripture focus: "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards." Matthew 7:24-27
Earlier in this devotional series we talked about how unmet expectations can be attention-getters, pointing us to our need for spiritual renewal. It would be really cool if every time something went wrong in our life, we could see it as an opportunity for growth. I rarely react to storms in such a mature manner. My life storms usually expose shame and fear lurking in my inner self.
When my shame is triggered, I focus on the loss that inevitably accompanies foolish building. I look at the devastation the storms and waves have wrought, and wonder, “Why me? What did I do to cause this? Who else is to blame for my loss?”
I am learning how to shift my focus. That’s what I love about spiritual renewal! It’s not so much about getting it right as it is about providing us a new, expanded view of our world. I continue to slip into moments of self-pity. But I can no longer live comfortably there – Matthew 7 has given me a renewed view. Who caused the flood and why I got hit hard by a tornado are questions that don’t take me to a restored place in my mind and heart.
Living on that solid rock is my first priority. It’s not easy. But it is the point.
I continue to experience storms. I am aware that all my attempts to be a smart carpenter keep teaching me that I’m not a natural craftsman. Spiritual renewal is not about me figuring out how to live like a spiritual giant; it simply means that I believe in the one God has sent to rebuild my life on the rock. I pray that we will pause to prepare and shift our focus. Stop with the home improvement projects – ones selected to make us look better on the outside. Instead, I ask that we consider making this an inside job. Forget about the waves, the rocks, the rain, the flood, the eroding shores – and make a decision to do whatever it takes to turn our undivided attention to the One who created those waves, rocks, rain, flood and shores.
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