I deleted Facebook because I just couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t stand to watch families be pitted against each other for one more second or the bridges of friendships burn. And for what? I’m so sick of it. I needed a break.
I also am convinced that I am married to God’s greatest gift to earth and we have two beautiful baby boys. I want to celebrate and document those things, and I should be able to do that, so I’m back. But that’s not what this is about.
It’s also not about your political party, whether you love and support our president or hate him so much you foam at the mouth. It’s not about your skin color. It’s not about what gender you do or do not identify with or your stance on global warming. It’s not about whether you believe the human children that grew inside of me were just clumps of cells. It’s not about choosing to wear a mask or choosing not to. It’s not about red. It’s not about blue. It’s not about yellow, black, or white.
This is about your house.
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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash (Matthew 7:24-27).
It doesn’t matter what fancy fixtures or furniture greet your guests, or how high-tech your appliances are. It doesn’t matter how expensive your countertops were or what brand of clothing hangs in your closet. It doesn’t matter the immaculate, intricate detail that went into laying every brick or painting the walls. As long as your house sits on the sand, the rain will come, and it will erode, and the wind will devastate it.
Just as a life without Jesus will crumble. It doesn’t matter how right you think you are or how loud you yell about it. It doesn’t matter what you’re “pro-” or what you’re against. It doesn’t matter how many accolades or degrees or achievements you have. It doesn’t matter if you excelled at a sport or how you take your coffee. It doesn’t matter how many hours you put in at the gym or at the office. So long as your life is built on anything but Jesus, the rain will come, and the wind will blow and without warning, you will find yourself standing amongst the carnage of an existence based on works.
If you’re reading this and you’re not sure about this Jesus guy and all you’ve ever known about “Christians” is the culty weirdness and the way they hate and judge with their picket signs and hypocrisy – I want to say that I am so sorry. I am so sorry that the Gospel has been so contorted. I am so sorry if you have ever felt shame or that you were out of God’s reach because of someone else’s miscarriage of His message.
If you’re reading this, there is time to rebuild.
The Gospel is not for good people. In its rawest form, the Gospel is for thieves and murderers, liars and adulterers, drunks and drug addicts. The Gospel is accessible and it’s available. No degree can earn it, no amount of money can buy it, it is God’s greatest gift, and He gives it freely. Because of His blood, because of this Gospel, we can step out of the chains of sin and into the freedom of forgiveness and life in Christ. The old has passed away and the new thing has come!
No matter what you've heard or thought you knew, you are welcome here, you are wanted here, you are SAFE here, you are loved here, your past has no hold here, and you are clean here. Come and rest your weariness here. Come and taste the goodness of God, come and see and experience the sweet peace of His presence, come, and build your life on the Rock.
