Building your house on rock
There is a parable which speaks of a man who built his house on rock and a man who built his house on sand. A wise man built his house on rock; the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. A foolish man built his house on sand; the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it (Mt.7:24-27). It is worthwhile to ponder on what your life is built on. You are the architect of your life; you are the one to choose the foundation stone to build your life on, and to decide its contents. It is important to make sure that you have a solid foundation on rock to protect yourself from mental, physical and intellectual disasters.
Some of you may have been born with a silver spoon in your mouth while some of you may have numerous problems, difficulties and miseries in your life. Yet it is you who scripts your destiny. In this issue we have the story of Jillian Haslam who built her life on solid rock in spite of deprivations and miseries in her early life. She had a dark childhood, grew up in extreme poverty and fear, yet she soared to the heights in the Indian and British corporate banking sector and later became the motivational speaker, author and philanthropist you see today.
You can’t build a skyscraper on a weak foundation. You must lay a solid foundation if you want to build a strong superstructure. This applies also to our life. If you cultivate positive and rock-solid convictions, beliefs and put in persistent hard work you can build a stable life. Your consistent and committed efforts will give you a strong foundation for your life — be it in your academics, discipline, social life or personal grooming. The mistake that you might make is the compromise you make in life and give in to procrastination.
Some of the recipes to build a strong foundation for your life could be: right thoughts, right words, specific goal setting, responsibility for your actions and attitudes, right choice of friends, a never-give-up spirit, etc. These fortified with love, compassion, sharing and forgiveness will make your life dynamic, productive and successful. Some people or situations in life may push your button to be passive or aggressive which will bring you to defeat. But one should never give up fighting. Every step and every risk you take, and every drop of sweat you shed to acquire the above recipes, with creativity and vigour will help you build your house on rock.
John Gilbert, SSP is the former Chief Editor of The Teenager Today, India's only TeenZine.