31. How can you build your life well?

IS JESUS, AN ARCHITECT?

Imagine these two men who decided to build their house. They start looking for a location. They have a proposal: – Why don’t you take this land by the river? It’s sand: it’s easy to dig. Your construction will be finished quickly and you will be able to live there quickly! The first man hesitates; he’s not really convinced. The second does not think. – Okay, I’m settling here. The place suits me. And he buys the land. The first man patiently continues his research until one day: – Ah, I‘ve found it! This is exactly the place for me; under the earth there is rock; so my house will have solid foundations. The construction will be more difficult and take longer, it is true, but this it’s worth it! I want a solid house! And he buys the land. The construction of the houses begins. The first man goes to great lengths to carve deep foundations down to rock. He digs and digs deeper and deeper. – Not easy at all what you’re doing here! says a friend, it takes a lot of your time and many efforts. Why do you want to settle here at all costs? – Because I want my house to have a good foundation. I want it to be solid! And he continues to dig. The work is progressing slowly. After several months, the shutters and the door are fixed, and one fine day: -Yeh! The children cry. The house is finished! – We’re going to be happy here! Thinks this man as he gazes at his house. The second man builds directly on the sand, without a foundation. The job is easy and moves fast. – Great, my house is growing fast! He says, rubbing his hands together. And some time later: – Quickly, let’s go and get the furniture, the jugs, the rugs… let’s move into our new home! Time passes… One day, large clouds appear on the horizon. The sky becomes quite dark The rain starts to fall, first a few drops, then harder and harder. The two men and their family take shelter in their homes. They carefully close the door and shutters. Lightning lights up the sky. The thunder rumbles, the wind howls, the rain is pouring down: – It really is a very violent storm,” says the first man. Fortunately, we are in security. Our house has a solid foundation. In the second house, they begin to be worried. The father says: – The water in the river continues to come up! It’s no longer a river, it’s a torrent! A few hours later: – Oh disaster! The torrent is overflowing! The water invades the garden! It goes into the house. It’s flooding! – Dad! Dad! The house is moving – It’s the wind, my son, it is too strong! – Oh! The walls are cracking! Water is seeping under the door. Quick, everybody out, we must go! The whole family rushes out of the house. It was time … because the house collapsed in a terrible crash! It is just a heap of rubble. – What a pity! The desperate man moans. What are we going to do? We‘ve lost everything! I should not have chosen this field! I should never have built on sand! Ah! If I had taken the time to reflect, we would not have lost everything. After several hours, the flashes are spaced; the wind calms; the rain stops. The first man and his family come out of the house: – What a storm! I‘ve never seen anything like that, such a violent wind! -Yes, Dad, but our house has resisted. It is still standing and it is not even damaged. – Yes, it has resisted because it was built on good ground; it is built on rock and it has a solid foundation! Jesus gave the explanation of this story to all these people gathered around him: “He who comes to me listens to what I say and puts it into practice, is like a wise, prudent man who built his home, his life on the rock. On the contrary he who hears what I say and does not take it into account is like the foolish man who built his house on sand.”

1, 2 3, 4 AND YOU AND ME! So? These two houses, what do they represent? Did you find the answer? Jesus took this image of a house to talk about our lives. Indeed, day after day, you build your life, your future and even your eternity by the choices you do, the decisions you make. For example, when you decide to work better in school, you are preparing your professional future. Whereas if you spend your evenings on your chat phone, you’re going to meet difficulties at school, at home… When you decide to stop eating all kinds of sweets, you maintain your body healthy, you build your health home. What can guide you in your choices, your decisions: honesty, truth, respect for other or lying, deceit, malice, theft? I let you think about it. But if you want your life to be successful, then, now, listen to what Jesus said and put it into practice.

4, 3, 2, 1 AND WE PARENTS! If we summarize Jesus’ teaching in two words, we can say, listen to him and obey him. This is the best way to build a good life. We know it when we take stock; we find that we now live the consequences of our choices, of our decisions; for us, for our children, not only for life on earth but also for eternity. To help us make the best choices we can meditate on the teachings of Jesus, and seek his will. He is an excellent guide. Is He not the best architects and a patient building site foreman?