Hurricane Michael hit the panhandle of Florida in October of 2018, destroying nearly everything in its path and doing extensive damage to Mexico Beach. As the news networks converged to cover the story, I remember a CNN feature about a house that was still standing when all those around it had been leveled. The first question they asked the owners was this: "Why did your house survive?" Their answer told the story:
"We put a lot of work into it. [When building it] we paid attention to every detail from the ground up. At every point…when it came time to make a decision about what level of material to use…we went above and beyond the code because we asked the question, 'What would survive the big one', and we consistently tried to build it for that."
The interview went on to detail how the house had been designed to withstand a wind velocity of over a hundred miles per hour above the Florida Hurricane Code. This increased the cost of construction by more than twenty percent.
It wasn’t luck this house survived. It wasn't because it sustained lesser winds than the others. The difference was in the intentionality of the preparation. They decided not to settle for the minimum but to pay attention to every detail—to go beyond the code and spend more money. In every decision, they asked the same bottom-line question: "What will it take to survive the big one?"
Jesus concluded His longest recorded sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, with a story of two men and two houses. The narrative is found in Matthew 7:24-27:
"Everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”
One man built his house on a foundation of sand, the other on rock: one Jesus called foolish, the other, wise. His point? The wise way to live is to build your life on the solid foundation of the truths and ways of God because they alone have what it takes to survive the big one.
This kind of preparation takes time, intentionality, and planning. Building on sand is quicker, easier, and cheaper. Besides, the big one will probably never come anyway, right? It’s just not worth the effort.
But it will come. I’ve seen it again and again: the unexpected report from the doctor, changes in employment, economic downturns, financial meltdowns, relational heartbreaks from betrayal, abandonment, and death. It’s only a matter of time.
I’ve seen some who look so strong in calm weather but crumble in the storm. They curse God, curse people, and live the remainder of their days bitter and broken: the collapse is great. But I’ve seen others in the same intensity of pain and loss raise their eyes to heaven, breathe in the freshness of the living God, and rise again to experience lives of joy, peace, and purpose.
Jesus was clear from the beginning that chaos would be the norm of this world. That’s why He tells us to be very intentional about building our lives on a foundation that can weather the storm. It’s our responsibility, and ours alone, to arrange the pieces of our lives to make sure our souls are refreshed daily in the wonder and reality of God.
Not to settle for the minimum
To go above and beyond the code
To pay attention to every detail
If we don’t, it’s game over. And that’s too big of a price to pay with our one and only lives.