A foundation is the basis on which all our lives our based. There is some sort of foundation in our lives whether we are aware of it or not. It could be unstable and shaky, filled with fear, doubt feelings of unworthiness or overwhelm. Or it could be solid and stable, but still filled with fear, doubt, rejection, unworthiness and overwhelm.
The difference with the second scenario is that God is the solid foundation. In Matthew 7: 24-27 (NIV), it says, “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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Just because we have a belief in God doesn’t mean we don’t struggle with all the things listed above. However, the advantage we have is knowing that God is working on us as we trust Him in the present moment. Our foundation could be shaky because we grew up with abuse or rejection. It doesn’t matter how our foundation started, but it can change because God is there with open arms welcoming all who trust in Him. He alone has the ability to rebuild the foundation we were born into and change it into something amazing filled with freedom and forgiveness.
There is nothing we can do that could separate us from the love God freely offers to rebuild our foundation. Romans 8:35-39 (NLT) states, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Even if we’ve done something we think is unforgivable, God can rebuild us and provide a new beginning with a fresh start. God wipes the slate clean when we humbly come before Him and ask to begin again.
In my life, this began in my first marriage. I married a non-believer during a time when I wasn’t honoring God with my life choices. I thought I knew better than God and could handle life on my own. Can you say, prideful, much? If I had been following God, it would have saved me years of heartache.
The beauty of God is that even though I abandoned Him during this time, He did not abandon me. He kept me on a firm foundation established in my childhood home. He was there with forgiveness at the ready, waiting for me. This isn’t to say I’m not suffering the consequences of my willful disobedience. However, God has shown up in my life in magnificent ways.
He broke me, well, mostly broke me, of being prideful because when you can’t feed your kids or pay rent or the credit card bill all at the same time, pride has to be dealt with or I wasn’t going to survive the onslaught of my new, unexpected life as a single mom.
God puts people in our lives to help and offers a community of believers which sometimes appear in person or it could be virtually. It’s this community that offer support when we feel our foundation begin to crumble and what kept me together during a dark time in my life.
Do you need support or is there a special way your offer support when someone’s foundation is collapsing around them? Share it in the comments below to encourage others.