Build the House

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” - Matthew 7:24

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Our Lord’s teaching here in Matthew 7 is about dependance and trust and being willing to place your faith in something that can actually hold you during the storms and trials of life. His commands are given so that we might find ourselves preserved when inevitable tribulations come our way. 

Christ and His teachings are the rock we should build our lives upon.

While it’s clear that the ultimate point of the teaching is the rock and it’s dependency as opposed to the sand and it’s inability to support us, I’d like to take a moment to think about the other part of the metaphor: the building of the house.

Notice that Christ didn’t say “stand on the rock,” or “rest on the rock.” The metaphor is about building your house.

Here’s my point: building a house takes time. It is a process with many layers of construction. There are plans and materials and sweat and long hours and mistakes and revisions and improvements. It is not a quick, easy undertaking. 

Building a house is not so much about passion and intent as it is about determination, perseverance, hard work, resilience and discipline. There are starts and stops. There are periods where the construction site sits without much work getting done. There are wrong measurements and re-do’s. 

It’s hard to build a house, even on the rock. 

The Christian community has done a lot recently to incorporate the idea of “passion” as one of its foremost priorities. And probably with the best of intentions: we do not want to send the message that the Christian life is one of drudgery or boredom. 

However.

Passion is the like the ignition of a freshly lit bonfire. At first, the flames leap into the sky and the heat is impressive. Big bonfires are a sight to behold. But, eventually (and usually not a long “eventually”), the flames start to settle down and the bonfire becomes more manageable and contained. Not long after that, more work has to be done to keep the fire going at all. 

That is what the Christian life is like. There may be an initial surge of emotion and spiritual intensity, but eventually the fire of our faith must be tended to and kept up. The flames must be fed for the fire to keep burning. It becomes less about the exciting initial moments and more about the disciplined, consistent maintenance of our commitment. 

This is what the building of the house seems to represent to me. Deciding to build on the rock is the correct decision. No doubt about it. But that decision must be followed up with the day-in, day-out determination that building a house requires. 

There is a world of difference between deciding to build a house and actually building the house. 

Passion is a good thing. No doubt about it. But passion is only proven over time. It is no wonder the Bible uses marriage metaphors to describe God’s relationship to His people. The same idea applies: the initial rush of romantic exhilaration must be followed up and reinforced with the consistent effort of dedication and determination to stay true to your vows. Once that honeymoon phase passes, couples discover that it takes real effort to make the marriage work.

So don’t let your commitment to Christ rely on your passion. Feed that flame with steadfast, resolute effort.

If you begin to build the house, do what’s required to finish the job. 

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