Stress on a Cracked Foundation

Think about a house standing strong.  Imagine a crack in the foundation.  Maybe the ground under the house has settled unevenly.  Maybe things have shifted since the house was built.

If it has gone long enough that the foundation is cracked, there is a failure waiting to happen.  Putting enough stress on a cracked foundation will lead to a dramatic failure.

This is like living at the edge of health: physical, social, emotional, or spiritual.  If you aren't constantly investing in repairing and strengthening your foundation, you are more susceptible to unexpected failure.

I want to eat healthy food, keep in touch with good friends, keep enough space in my life, and stay strong in my faith.  So that when the storms of life come, I can get through the challenging times.  When I ask God for help, I can be more confident I will be able to receive His help to bridge me back to a stable and happy future.

Seen, Persuaded, Embraced, Confessed

One verse in Paul's description of the fathers of faith stood out to me:

Heb. 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

I've watched true followers of Jesus Christ demonstrate their devotion to Him in ways that involve all four elements of conversion.  In fact, I'd be willing to take this verse as a starting point for describing what true conversion is like.

It seems to me that this pattern of increasing commitment and devotion is tightly involved in the process of understanding what one's personal mission in this life is.  When it finally gels, there isn't anything else but just to go do your life's work, and give your whole self for your Lord Jesus Christ and what He's called you to do here.