This past Thursday, there was a young man in one of the local high schools that lost all hope and took his own life. Such a tragedy. My youth pastor lives around the corner from him and was a friend of his on one of the internet social network sites (that is to say that the kid added him as a friend amoung hundreds of others). After investigating, my youth pastor found out that the kid had scripture on his internet site and sited the Bible as his favorite book. This information caused me to wonder how does a young man that seems to know Jesus, find himself in a situation where he has no more hope?
Friday night after The Way Bible study, held at my associate pastor's home, I dropped by a small ministry that takes place from 8:00pm to 1:00am weekly on Friday nights, called OPFOR, and they were discussing this very incident. Out of approximately 100 young people, about a third knew this kid at least well enough that they saw him on a regular basis. Although not all of these young people were followers of Christ, a good portion were, which begged the question, "didn't he know any of them well enough to talk to them in his time of need?" Several people shared their experience with the young man and lamented that they didn't have another opportunity to talk to him, but encourage others to lean on someone in times of trouble.
It was at that moment that the Holy Spirit spoke to me and brought to mind a parable that Jesus told during his ministry. It was a parable that I have heard many times but for the first time truly understood in practicality. It was the parable of two men that each built a house. One built his house on a rock and the other on shifting sand. Matthew 7:24-27 (New International Version Bible) 24 "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. 25 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. 26 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. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
I pondered the parable for a moment or two and realized that this hopeless young man, that took his life, had built his life on shifting sand. Here was a young man that had head knowledge of Jesus, but didn't have a true relationship with Christ, the solid foundation on which we build our lives. His life was built on relationships no doubt; relationships with his family, friends, and girlfriend, but not on the solid rock of a relationship with Jesus. Friends, family, love relationships, school, jobs, churches, etc. are shifting sand. They will let you down, but Jesus is unmovable, he never changes.
An example of this is, if I build my life on a relationship with my wife, and after 20 years of marriage she decides she doesn't want to be married to me anymore, my foundation crumbles and my life falls apart. However, if my life is built on a relationship with Jesus, then no matter what happens in my life the foundation stands firm. If I lose my job (shifting sand), I lean on Jesus (the rock) who is my true provider; if I lose my best friend (shifting sand), I fall back on Jesus (the rock) who is a friend that sticks closer than a brother; if I lose my health (shifting sand), I rely on Jesus (the rock) that bore bruises and wounds for my healing. This principal applies even to church bodies. I have seen so many churches fall apart when a pastor fails in their morals and values, or just leaves to go to another church. These churches have not been built on the foundations of Christ (the rock), but on that pastor (shifting sand).
As you read this blog post, I pray that you will examine your own life and its foundation. If it's built on Jesus (the rock) then you will be able to stand in any test or trial (shifting sand) that may come your way, but if it's not, then you can bet sometime in your future, the sands will shift and your house will come crumbling down around you and hope will have escaped you. Jesus is the only hope we have. When all else fails, He will always stand.
