Question: What happens when you apply the words and the ways of Jesus, even when it’s hard?
Answer: You stand firm in the fiercest storm.
“They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.” — Jesus (Luke 6:48)
This was a real issue in the deserts of the middle east. (Still is real everywhere, I guess.) People who just wanted pretty scenery or an expedient construction schedule might cut corners to build their homes faster or wherever they wanted. That didn’t go well in the long run.
But the people who dug deep and put the foundation on or into the rock were established and secure for the long haul.
Here’s the thing about building the right way:
1. It’s not as sexy. It’s really hard work. 2. It’s slower, and some people will go faster and look better doing it. 3. There will be storms that come while you’re building and expose the weaknesses in your plan. (Welcome those storms and be grateful.) 4. When your solid house survives a storm, you become a safe haven for those who were crushed.
Because, isn’t that the way of Jesus?