Monday, June 22, 2009

The Wise Man Chiseled Into Limestone Not Sand Rock…

As we worked on the camp property this week, three of us took on the task of landscaping around the newly constructed zip line. We decided that a gravel path outlined in BIG rocks would look really good. So we spent a good chunk of the morning moving these 100+ pound rocks into a truck, out of a truck, and rolling them into their spot on the path. After we had finished we thought we would continue using our creativity by chiseling different things into the huge rocks we had put along the path. We began our task and soon discovered that most of the rocks we had chosen were rocks made of hardened sand and as soon as we began chiseling big chunks would break off and ruin the design we had started. We continued to chisel and I even almost completed a cross but with the last hit of the hammer against the chisel a huge chunk flew off leaving me with nothing more than a big dent in a very big rock.
As we stood looking at our attempts at creativity I was reminded of Matthew 7 when Jesus talks about the wise and foolish men. Jesus says that the wise man builds his house upon the rock where the foundation is sturdy, but the foolish man builds his house upon the sand where the foundation can be washed away. The rocks that we put onto that path were heavy and most could only be rolled and not lifted, but yet when we began to chisel into them we found that underneath there was only sand. Judging by their outward appearance they were indestructible, but that was not the case beneath the surface.
It doesn’t matter what our actions are on the outside if we are not truly rooted and grounded in our faith and in the Word our foundation is shaky. If we know the good we are supposed to do and don’t do it we are foolish and live our lives on shaky foundations.

This is just one of the many things God has been teaching me since I’ve been in the Bahamas. These are lessons that I’m praying will help me as I attempt to invest of the lives of hundreds of Bahamian teenagers in just two short weeks.

This Week…
Without a team this week we’ve had the opportunity to do a variety of things that wouldn’t have gotten done with a team here. On Wednesday and Thursday we traveled up and down the island of Eleuthera promoting camp by hanging posters in windows, handing out fliers, and talking to people we saw on the street. We spent some time finishing up some things at the camp property as well as putting some finishing touches on the zip line and the paintball field before camp starts. It has been a good week to rest and prepare for camp which is fast approaching.



3 comments:

  1. Nice story and great application Aleigh! I'm glad to hear that the Lord is teaching you!

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  2. Great Aleigh! If we look for those lessons God will show them to us but sometimes we are not thinking of what God is trying to teach us. Jordan preached a good sermon on Sunday. Glad you are experiencing God at work in your life. We are proud of you. Pray for many to come to know Christ through this camp. Love you, Grandma and Grandpa

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  3. It is so good to hear you speak in stories...especially ones that challenge me and hold me accountable at the same time. I miss you girl. I can't wait to share with you about the work I see and feel God doing here too!

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