MOVING THE ANCIENT BOUNDARIES

Sandcastles are whimsical, magical sculptures. From the time I was a little girl growing up along the southern Atlantic shores, I sat at the edge of the waves on Jacksonville Beach or Little Talbot Island dumping bucketfuls of wet beach sand on top of each other, constructing my own castle in the sand.

These days when I find myself visiting ocean-anywhere I still drop to my knees to build yet another marvelous sandy structure.

I love to wade in the surf watching the delight of children feeling sand between their toes, enjoying their squeals of excitement racing into the waves. Some plunging in, others turning and attempting to outrun the foaming crests.

Oh, and there’s the joy of seeing the adult facade melt from a parent’s or a grandparent’s face as childhood memories wash over them and they join their children in a frivolous romp along the shore.

Salty air, puffy clouds, dancing waves, and a bucket and shovel—a sure ‘nough recipe for fun. Family vacations drawing us together, refreshing relationships, and cementing bonds and memories we will carry for a lifetime.

The brevity of these fanciful structures always lead me to question the stability and building code of my own home. Because many of us have employed sandcastle theology to construct the places we live and the relationships we invest in.

God tells us:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they shall not be ashamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127 NAS).

Is your home built on the solid Rock foundation of the Jesus? Or are you building a cheap, knock-off, mish-mash of pride that is likely to be swept away in the first high tide of selfishness, riptide of anger, or tsunami of indebtedness or infidelity?

“The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness…The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him” (Lamentations 3:22-25 NAS).

And He is able to rescue, repair, and rebuild what we believe should be demolished. The home He rebuilds is able to withstand life’s ocean of howling storms because He is our Shield and our Protector. All you have to do is ask and place your faith and trust in the Master Builder.