Monday, September 15, 2014

Building a Strong Foundation


By Niki Turner

One of my sons is going to be featured in an art show in Denver later this month. I bought my ticket, and noting the "cocktail attire" requirement, went shopping. (When you live in Western Colorado, "cocktail attire" means wearing jeans that don't have cow manure on them... but things are different on the Front Range!)

I found a dress, but right away determined the dress would need some "help" in the form of foundation undergarments, which got me to thinking about the importance of having a solid, sturdy foundation of faith.

Your foundation is your support system. It's what keeps you upright, what prevents you from wilting or bending or collapsing. As a 44-year-old mother of four and grandmother of 3, I have some jiggly bits and wiggly parts that need to be corralled in order to make my dress presentable to the public.

So it is with my faith... I have some jiggly bits, things I don't fully understand, some parts and pieces I haven't completely reconciled, that need a solid foundation.

Having a reliable foundation is crucial to having a faith that prevails over the circumstances life throws at us.

"These words that I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on." Luke 6:47 The Message

My husband worked as a contractor for a number of years. On every project I would question the length of time it took to get past the foundation and to the stuff I could see: walls, windows, doors, etc. It took more time to establish a sound foundation than it did to put up walls, install fixtures, or any other part of the construction process because the foundation was critical to the future success and longevity of the building.

The same is true of our faith. We need to dig deep and work the words of Jesus into the hidden parts of our lives: our thoughts and feelings and motives, the way rebar is worked into the foundation of a building.

Jesus instructed us to work the word into the very fabric of our lives, to make His teachings the central part of our day to day existence. When we do that, we can enjoy a foundation that is sturdy and strong enough to withstand any storm of life. So the next time you reach for your Spanx, or whatever foundation undergarment you rely on, remember, your faith needs a solid foundation, too. If it feels uncomfortably jiggly, go back to those foundation words.

Blessings!


Niki Turner is a novelist, journalist, blogger, and production manager for the Rio Blanco Herald Times in Meeker, Colorado. She lives on Colorado's Western Slope, blogs at www.nikiturner.net and is a co-blogger at www.inkwellinspirations.com. She is also the Colorado Coordinator for American Christian Fiction Writers. Her fiction blends the good news of God's love with come-as-you-are characters in stories that encourage and inspire. Her novella, "Sadie's Gift" is available on Kindle and Nook as part of the Christmas Traditions series. Her novella, "Santiago Sol" will be published by Pelican Book Ventures as part of the Passport to Romance collection at a date to be announced. 


11 comments:

  1. I loved that verse in the Message version. Don't remember seeing that before.

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    1. The next two verses are equally potent. "...But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation."
      OUCH!

      Gotta love the Message version... it rips off all the familiarity that makes it easy to skim over sections without really hearing what's being said.

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    2. I'm not familiar with this version of the Bible, Niki, but it bears research. Thanks.

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  2. Thanks, Niki. We're adding on to our house, so we just experienced that "foundation takes forever!" feeling.

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    1. Oh my, yes, CJ. It's interminable, but so worth it!

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  3. Great analogy, Niki. I do wish your son the very best with the art show!

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  4. Yes, it's a really good analogy, Niki.

    I speak from experience because we've had to add a post or two in our basement because it was built without a proper foundation and is now slowly pulling apart. The interior side of our double pane living room window cracked the winter of 2012 and now there's a definite gap where the glass used to be connected. If you stand back and look at it, you see where the crack ends at the window sill, but then continues on through the wall beneath it. The living room also slopes toward the window, and floor boards sag as we walk near it. One of these days...

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