In the Earthquakes by @emilylaney

Me and some of my co-workers in front of our yellow house in Banda Aceh, the house with the 'solid foundation'.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” – Matthew 7:24.

 

In 2005 I spent six months in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Aceh was ground zero for the devastating Tsunami that hit Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004. Six months after that day, I found myself in Banda Aceh, walking through a city that was struggling to rebuild. I had never felt an earthquake before going to Aceh, and I’ll never forget the day I felt the ground shake between my feet. It was slight at first, and then it almost felt like the ground buckled under me. I raced out of our home office along with the rest of the other staff. For those few seconds, I felt helpless. I was completely at the mercy of the shaking earth. And after the shaking slowed, I realized how thankful I was for our home’s strong foundation. The home our organization was renting wasn’t destroyed during the intense ten minute earthquake that caused the tsunami, and it wasn’t damaged during the subsequent aftershocks that hit the city for months after. Our foundation was solid, so the house continued to stand.

Our lives are figuratively like life in Banda Aceh. It will be calm for a little while, and then things get shaken up. Maybe it’s financial, a diagnosis, or a loss. Or, maybe it’s something exciting but overwhelming. But regardless of the circumstances, all of us are prone to experience earthquakes in our lives. But when everything gets shaken up, what do we rely on?

That’s where the solid foundation comes in. We must set our minds on Jesus, and build our faith, our lives on the solid rock of Jesus. The parable in Matthew seven is a great example. We can’t put our trust in things of the world, it’s like building a house on sand. But if we put our trust in Jesus, He serves as a firm foundation, a foundation that will not be shaken. And sure, when the earthquakes come, we’ll be shaken up a bit. However, our solid foundation in Christ will keep us from being destroyed. There is so much peace in knowing that we can rely and depend on Jesus to be our true source of stability.

Friends, trust in Jesus today. If you’re going through a storm or if you feel you’re in a full-fledged earthquake, know that no matter how much the enemy tries, he can’t destroy you. Cling to the truth of scripture and the sure foundation and cornerstone of Jesus.

Emily Laney is a social worker, educator, and justice seeker.  She has worked with vulnerable populations in the United States and abroad and loves to help startup nonprofits reach their goals.  She is a Passion City Church door holder and leads a team of abolitionists at Not for Sale Georgia.   She loves her husband Brent and their rescue pup Biscuit. Sunsets and Sushi make her happy.

You can connect with Emily on twitter @emilylaney or on her blog www.emilylaney.com