A thought by Michael Todd, from his book, Crazy Faith. (p. 7). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)
And that's a great place to start.
Michael continues, "Sure, the best time to start laying that foundation may have been twenty years ago, but the next-best time is right now. In many translations, Hebrews 11:1 starts off with these two words: 'Now faith.' So I’m encouraging you now, at this moment, that now is not too late. As a matter of fact, now is the perfect time. Right where you are, you can begin tearing down the walls of doubt, pulling out the lies of pessimism, and removing the framework of fear so that God can pour a new faith foundation deep within you."
He says, "We each have beliefs, standards, philosophies, and habits, and these are all built on some sort of foundation, whether from family, friends, education, religion, or culture—or a combination of all of the above. I wrote this book to help you build a healthy, purpose-revealing, God-honoring life of faith, but before we start building anything, we need to establish some things on a ground level. Even the most glorious building can be reduced to a pile of rubble without a sure and solid foundation.
"A foundation is essential to hold a structure in place, but it does so much more than that. A well-built foundation keeps out moisture, insulates against the cold, and resists shifting with the earth around it. It is strong, deep, and dense enough to last the lifetime of the building sitting on top of it. In the words of This Old House general contractor Tom Silva, 'Without a good one, you’re sunk."
He goes on, "Over the past year, my wife and I have embarked on the relationship-testing journey of building a house, and we’ve learned a whole lot about construction and a whole lot about each other. (Y’all keep us in your prayers.) One of the things that has surprised us is how much intentionality goes into the planning, preparation, and configuration of the foundation: digging, measuring, steel reinforcing, cement mixing, leveling, and more. When I asked the foundation contractor why it was taking so long (because, honestly, I was ready to see some progress above ground), he reiterated that the foundation is the most important phase of construction. They never rush this part of the process because, as he put it in a very matter-of-fact tone, 'We can fix a wall and we can repair a window, but once this house is up, the foundation is set forever—that is, unless we tear it down or do major reconstruction.'
"I couldn’t help but wonder, What areas of my life have I built on a faulty foundation? Where do I need some major reconstruction?
"Have you heard of the Burj Khalifa? No, it’s not Wiz Khalifa’s cousin. It’s currently the world’s tallest free-standing structure, at a staggering height of more than 2,700 feet—that’s two and a half times as tall as the Eiffel Tower and almost twice as tall as the Empire State Building! It cost an estimated $1.5 billion and took six years to build. More than 110,000 tons of concrete were used to construct the foundation, which is buried 164 feet below ground level. That’s twelve stories of building under the building, because it takes a very deep, very sturdy foundation to keep that 500,000-ton tower standing tall."
He then says, "A foundation may seem insignificant because it’s under the surface, but it makes possible the part that’s on display for everyone to see. The integrity of the foundation you build your life on determines the type of structure that can be built on it. I am convinced that the foundation you should build your life on is faith in God and belief in His Word. God’s Word has remained from generation to generation, has seen empires rise and fall, and produces change but will never change."
"The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8)
And that is the right foundation to build our lives on, isn't it? Yes, yes! #continuethought
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