By: Faith Addington, Catholic Editor
Heavenly Father,
Be my rock and my fortress,
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me.
Free me from the net they have set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, LORD, God of truth.
Psalm 31: 4-6
Another school year is underway, bringing with it bounds of enthusiasm and excitement for all the new opportunities set before us. Just as the rain comes before the rainbow, so too come challenges and hardships before we reap the profits of our toil. How then, are we to come out on the other side of these trials successful? We are able to do this by depending upon the foundation of which we have built our very life.
Before a builder begins constructing a house, there are several things he might consider. He first must consider what material of which the foundation shall be made. In order to make this decision, he needs to decide his end goal. Will the basement be used as storage? As a living area? Will there be a basement at all? After deciding what he wishes to build, the builder must also take into account the climate and the weather. Will the house be in a cold region that has to sustain against freezing and thawing temperatures? Will the house be in a warmer climate and prone to termites? Once the end goal is decided upon and the surroundings are accounted for, the builder can then begin construction.
Our life is the house that is built upon a foundation with ourselves as the builder. We can choose to have a sturdy house built upon a strong foundation or a weak house with a rushed foundation. As our life is fully dependent on its foundation, it should be built upon the only truly unfailing thing: Jesus Christ. For “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). We must want this foundation. We must decide Jesus Christ to be our end goal. Only then will we be able to build a strong life that will not fragment at the first sign of trouble.
In order to build this strong foundation, we must surround ourselves with the LORD. We must make Him a priority in our lives, turning to Him first before we go to others around us. Make Him the first thought in our heads every morning. Only then can we know that our house will not break, for the Lord is our rock and foundation.
The Saint 