Savage2Saint Sobriety August 7, 2024

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” - Matthew 7:24 (NLT)

          When you build a house, laying a solid foundation is the first step to insure the house you’re building is well built and won’t collapse. Building your life should be viewed in the same manner. If we don’t start off on a solid foundation, then anytime life’s winds blow, or an unforeseen storm hits us, we are left devastated and wondering why everything fell apart.

The storms we encounter in life have a way of knocking us down and leaving us battered and destroyed. If life is like a house, then addiction is a hurricane. As I’m sure you have seen, hurricanes can be very destructive and fierce. Addiction can be, too. In fact, if you are to the point of needing your life to be recovered through a recovery program, then you already know how destructive and fierce addiction can be.

In Matthew 7, Jesus tells us a parable about two men. One man built his house on the sand, and when the wind blew and the rains came, the man’s house was washed away. The other man built his house on the rock. The house built on the rock withstood the wind and rains. Jesus then tells us in Matthew 7:24, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” (NLT). Those who, not only listen to, but follow His teachings are like the wise man in the parable. Jesus is the Rock in this parable.

This makes me think of all the people I have encountered over the last couple of years who try to get free of addiction without Jesus. They laugh off requests to attend church with Shevon and me, and then find themselves back in their addiction wondering why they relapsed. The reason for this is because they built their house on the sand. When you try to build your house on anything but Jesus, you are taking a chance on losing it all the first time life throws a storm at you. Why take chances with something as important as your recovery? You can make it through life without drugs and alcohol, but you will never make it through life without drugs, alcohol, AND Jesus. Jesus is the ingredient that makes sobriety taste sooo good!!!

Listen, when you are set free from addiction, life doesn't magically become easy. Some days are going to be harder than others, but that’s why having a relationship with Jesus is so important. He is there to pick you up when you’re down. He will never leave you or abandon you. He will comfort you through sad times and will carry you when you feel like you can’t go on. The fact that we never again have to face life’s storms alone is what gives us a hope to face tomorrow and every day after.