How Firm Is Your Foundation?

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:26-27

If you live where limestone is a key ingredient in the bedrock composition, you might experience the same phenomenon we have in our mountains—sinkholes.

Limestone is a soft rock with porous layers that erode from water seepage over time. The resulting caverns can turn into tunnels for water runoff, growing until they have the potential to cave in from the weight above.

That’s what happened at our nearby Boone Dam. The original dam was built in the early 1950s and served our community well until leaks began to form at the base in 2014, revealing previously hidden sinkholes.

The lake behind it, formed where two rivers converge, was lowered to river level to protect residents downstream, and the slow process of reconstructing the dam began. After seven years and a cost of more than $300 million dollars, a much sturdier structure now stands on a series of unseen concrete pillars, a shield against the lake’s mass of weight, to protect against a catastrophic dam collapse.*

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ gives clear warning of a similar disaster.

His messages in Matthew 5-7 serve as a pocket manual of the Christian life. Besides the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus speaks about the sanctity of life and marriage, sharing the Gospel, loving enemies, humility, being spiritually minded, the uselessness of worry, God’s love, the importance of prayer, and fruitfulness.

At the wrap-up of His commentary, He leaves His followers with a choice. They can wisely leave their old ways to faithfully follow what Jesus said and embrace His abundant life. Or they can foolishly ignore Jesus and face the consequences.

The pitfalls of life are the same for the wise man and the fool. They both experience rain with flooding, along with winds that beat against their homes. The only difference is in their choice of foundation, rock vs. sand…a firm platform, or one that disintegrates at the first sign of trouble.

The hearers of Christ’s words that day were given a very clear parable picture. And as we study His messages today, we stand at the same crossroads. Will we take Jesus’ commands seriously and cling to Him as our Rock and Savior? Or will we muddle along as if we’re tough enough to handle things on our own? Will we be prepared for the inevitable storms that rise against us?

The key words in Christ’s parable are at the very end…and “great was its fall.” This is no small stumble. It’s the tragic conclusion of a life built on the accumulation of earthly wealth—instead of laying up treasures in heaven for Him. Scary thought.

For myself, I’m reminded that I often allow ordinary distractions take my focus off the singular truth that Jesus is the Lord of the universe. I owe Him my every moment, breath, sacrifice, praise, pleasure, and need. I must daily surrender everything in my life into captivity to Him, to serve His kingdom and everyone around me in His name. He is the only solid ground where I can take refuge.

Friend, I hope you have a moment today to quietly study Christ’s Sermon on the Mount…consider what it would take to change courses in your life…ask Jesus to become the Rock upon which you build your entire world…and trust Him to uphold you in the storms ahead.

May He plant your feet on the sure and steady foundation of His everlasting love.

Jesus Christ, You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. You are my only Rock, Stronghold, Refuge, and Strength. Please remind me daily that everything I have is Yours, including my calendar, my money, my work, my service to others, my home, and my spiritual gifts. In the shelter of Your love, help me ride out the tempests that swirl around me, and protect me from the attacks of the evil one. Remain my sure foundation, and keep me from falling. In Your powerful name, Amen.

*For a great description of the immensely successful Boone Dam project and the public communications effort that went into it, see “Fill the Dam Thing Up!” by my friend Mary Ellen Miller, APR— https://www.amazon.com/Fill-Dam-Thing-Communicating-Infrastructure-ebook/dp/B0CN3QCJXH/ref

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom.

© Copyright 2026 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #JesusChrist #faithjourney #Christianliving #faithoverfear #walkwithGod #faith #kingdomlife #Christianencouragement #Biblestudy #dailydevotional #Godisgood #Redeemer #Savior #prayerwarrior #Christianity #Jesus #God #Christian #Bible #trust #love #church #Christ #prayer #Bibleverse #presenceofGod #HolySpirit #SermonontheMount #Beatitudes #BooneDam #foundation #sandcastle #limestone