Building A Strong Foundation

Hey Joy Fam!

Around this time of year (October/November), my thoughts usually tend to become more serious because I realize that there are only a couple of months left of the year. I think this is a good kind of seriousness as it reminds me to live intentionally for God.

This year has been a major year of growth for me. God has taught me so much about trusting Him through “dark” seasons, about learning to live with a generous heart when you feel selfish, about persevering through seemingly impossible situations, how to choose joy in hard times, and recently, that I need to be careful not to build my life on the fleeting things of this world.

I have been learning now more than ever that I need to ground my life completely on the truth found in the Bible. Many wise people have told me that the year after you graduate high school is the most foundational year of your life. This is super exciting, but it also scares the crap out of me. I want to make this next year count, and if the next year lays the foundation for the rest of my life, I want to make sure it’s a strong foundation.

Today, I want to talk about what the most important thing in life is.

I’ve been reading through the book of Isaiah and chapter 40 really spoke to me. The two verses I’m looking at closely are verses seven and eight.

“A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?” “Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord. And so it is with people. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” (NLT)

Those first three sentences are kind of depressing. It says that people die quickly like grass and are helpless to the Lord. These verses reveal just how short life is. I think God made it short so that we would feel a sense of urgency. This urgency is what I feel when the year is coming close to an end. I know that the things of this world fade so quickly and that we humans fade just as quickly. It makes me question whether I used my year wisely. I know my time on earth is short, so I want to make it count. It makes me wonder if I am focusing on the things that matter most. The end of verse eight gives us the answer: God’s word is everlasting. I am going to die someday, but God’s Word will live on forever. That means that God’s Word is the only thing worth living for.

The things of this world are SO tempting and everywhere we look we constantly see new trends, fads, lifestyles, and technology that encourage us to become more and more attached to the world. But just take a look at the celebrities who make their lives about the things of this world: money, sex, and fame. Those people’s lives fall apart. Can you guess why? They didn’t have a strong enough foundation. They didn’t know or choose to ignore the truth. And we know that truth: that God’s Word is the only lasting foundation.

I don’t want to look back on the rollercoaster year 2020 has been and realize that I spent a lot of time looking at other people’s views or judging them for decisions they’ve made concerning any of the major hot-topics of the year. I don’t want to see that I spent a lot of my time on social media instead of playing games and making memories with my family. I don’t want to know that I spent my mornings making myself outwardly beautiful but sabotaging my inward beauty by not spending time with God. I only have so many hours in my day, and I need to choose to spend my time doing the things that are most important. What I do want is to look back on 2020 and say that I focused my heart on God’s Word and the truth in it.

Guess what?!? We still have two more months of 2020, so it’s not too late to make your time count and keep building the foundation for your life. You know what else? The rollercoaster will probably continue into 2021, but that doesn’t change God’s Word. Remember, life quickly changes, but God’s Word will stand firm forever.

This is the foundation I need for my life.

Do you want your life to count for God? Then you NEED to make your life's foundation God’s Word too. It doesn't matter how old or young you are, start today by reading God's Word. Think about how to apply what you read to your daily life.

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Love you all!