Put into practice

"The wise man built his house upon the rock, the wise man build his house upon the rock, the wise man built his house, the rains can down and the floods came up, the rains can down and the floods came up the rains came down and the floods came up

We all know this song if we grew up by sunday school teachers. (though I did have to look up come of the words) and I walk away thinking, well dah! We need to have a good foundation, thats how we are wise, by how we build ourselves on.

I always see this as a judging song. Build your home on a good foundation like me. Don't be a fool and build on the beach where the tide will destroy your little hut.

But today, while listening to a podcast, I realized, "I'm the fool who built his house on the sand."

My dad is a contractor; he spent most of my childhood building foundations for buildings. Many conversations I would hear was about what type of ground they were digging in. Frost lines, soil types, drainage, and the size of gravel was common place for conversation topics around the dinner table.

Also, the song skips (and misses) the whole point of looking at these builders on sand and rock.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a...."

I know I hear the words of Jesus. I have been taught it. I podcast sermons, went to a Christian college, go to church, and Sunday school, and church camp and...

"Put them into Practice." I am very good and not doing this. I don't do what God calls me to do. I can fake it well. but spraypainting sand to make it look like a rock doesn't make that sand act like a rock in a flood.

As much as these last many months show that my foundation is on my emotions and feelings are not on Christ. I am really good at practicing on feel hurt. But I don't practice the things I know Christ has asked me to do to live my life for him. I need to pray, I need to show his love to people. I need to be hospitable. I need to rely on God, not myself.

I'm mad that I know this dumb story front and back and missed that it is about practicing what Jesus told us to do, instead of just wisdom. I'm mad because I always saw myself as the wise man, but when in fact I am the fool.
I'm mad because I know that this story shows me that I need to change my life. I know it will be hard. I know its going to be really really hard. But I need to to practice what the Lord has taught me and let it change how I live my life. I need to train my heart so that I want to do the things of Jesus.

Lord guide me and teach me in this.

I am scared. Give me strength and courage.