What Are You Standing On?

In Isaiah 28, we read a word of caution about building our lives on a foundation other than a relationship with Christ and hiding in our hearts thoughts and motives that are contrary to His:
14 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. 15 You boast, "We have entered into a covenant with death, with the grave we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge  sweep by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place." 16 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.

When we experience collapse in our hearts or when circumstances deteriorate in and around our lives, we really do have to evaluate what our lives are really built upon.  The Lord will use those times of adversity to teach and strengthen us, and to deal in areas that are shaky.  Unhealthy emotions can lie beneath the surface and affect us in ways that we don't realize, causing cracks in our foundation and making life generally unstable.   We can rest assured that as we abide in Christ, the Holy Spirit will point out the areas not pleasing to Him and begin to do His masterful repair work and bring security to our lives.

Ephesians 2 underscores the importance of a strong foundation:
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

It seems we've been hearing a lot about crumbling foundations these days, especially in West Central Florida, where late last week in the city of Seffner, another sinkhole appeared.   This occurred just weeks after Jeff Bush was swallowed up by a sinkhole as laid in his bed when it opened up under his home.  The hole was so massive - 30 by 60 feet - that it is doubtful that Mr. Bush's body will ever be recovered.  Last Saturday evening, a new sinkhole, measuring about eight feet wide, appeared between two homes.   This is the third one to be found in the same town during the last month.

According to the website iScienceTimes, there are many factors that contribute to the forming of sinkholes. According to experts, sinkholes are formed from a combination of natural factors including weather and moisture as well as man-made factors like wells and plumbing.

State Geologist Jonathan Arthur says that February is usually the driest month in Florida for the year. However, February is also followed by a rainy season. Acidic rain can significantly eat away at limestone to cause natural caverns underneath the state.

"An extensive drought can cause soil and sediment over a cavity to be extremely dry and collapse," said Arthur, indicating the other face of the coin.

Acidic rain can, over time, eat away the limestone and natural caverns that lie under much of the state, causing sinkholes. Both extremely dry weather and very wet weather can trigger sinkholes, he said.

So, the conditions can be conducive to the development of sinkholes, but you never really know what lies beneath and what could trigger the ground to suddenly cave in.   

In a world that is need of an anchor and a sense of security, we do have a firm foundation upon whom we can rest.  When uncertainty comes - and it will - we can run to the rock and find stability.   When below the surface, in our heart of hearts, we are beset by fears, doubts, and wounds of the spirit, the Lord can bring healing and restoration to us.   He repairs us when areas of our lives collapse, or when we are overwhelmed by a sinking feeling that things are falling apart.   He came, died, and rose again so that He might fix what was, and is, broken.