This little blog page of mine is so obscure that sometimes I wonder if it is worth my time to write anything on it. I feel very inadequate when I try to express myself in writing, and I wonder if the reader gets even the slightest glimpse of what is in my heart.
I hope that this post (or at least the ideas in it) finds its way to anyone who might benefit from it. A couple of mornings ago, I felt that many people would benefit and the subject has rested on my mind since then.
Let’s start with a scripture. :)
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. (Helaman 5:12)
Has the devil sent forth winds in your life? Are you taking a beating from shafts in the whirlwind, hail, and storm? Does your life feel like a “gulf of misery and endless wo?”
Two mornings ago, I was overwhelmed by a realization of the degree to which so many people do not have Christ as their foundation. We like to think that we do, but life has a way of revealing to us, at different times, just how much we don’t. We encounter circumstances that beat upon the beliefs that we hold, and our belief in Christ and his truths are not exempt from this beating, though they should withstand it. When we are faced with the realization that our supposed belief in Christ is not as strong as we thought, or not as based in truth as we thought, we can find ourselves in a terrifying and hopeless position. In the future, the situations that reveal these deficiencies will become increasingly more frequent and more revealing.
I empathize with those who arrive at this point. I have been there. I have had experiences that have called into question many beliefs that I thought could not be shaken. Those experiences are not what I would call “fun” to be sure. They can tear your sanity to shreds. They will try to convince you that God doesn’t exist, or that he doesn’t care, or that it is beyond his power to help you. They can make you believe that there is no value to this reality. They can make you believe that your daring to hope for something better won’t bring about the improved results you so desperately desire. They can bring you to the precipice of utter despair if you don’t have the tools to hold you back from going over the edge.
It isn’t a coincidence that Helaman tells his sons to “remember” twice. It can be a difficult thing to come to your senses and realize that God has given you tools. If you are in a situation like this, or if you ever find yourself in a situation like this, I hope that you are still able to sense that the conflict within you is a result of God calling to you. It won’t feel like that. Other voices will try to drown out that call. God’s voice will feel almost imperceptible compared to those other voices. But it is his voice, and he is calling you to believe in Him. He is calling you to believe in his character, which is a sure foundation.
When I was growing up, I was taught to pray to a certain person, and for most of my life my conceptualization of God served me very well—until it didn’t. And when I hit that point, I didn’t know what to believe about him anymore. When my heart cried out to him, I didn’t even know how to address him.
What got me out of that space was the decision to believe that if there was chaos, there had to be order—somewhere. If there was someone that wanted me to believe in despair, there was someone who wanted me to have hope. And, remember, I no longer felt like I knew who that person was, but I believed that he existed, and that was enough.
In my prayers, I would say, “I believe in a God who loves me. I believe in a God who always has my best interest at heart and won’t betray me. I believe in a God of truth. I believe in a God of mercy. I believe in a God who is just. I believe in a God who wants me to be happy and who can show me how to obtain that. And whoever that God is, that is who I am praying to.”
Having a sure foundation in Christ means that you believe in, come to know about, and incorporate within yourself enough of his character that when life throws everything at you and then some, you cannot fall. You cannot fall because you rely on God’s strength, wisdom, and love. Nothing in this world is stronger than that.
I know that when you are in that hopeless space, believing these things is not something that comes easily. It is a conscious decision based on what can be the most imperceptible of evidences. You have to listen to that quiet voice that is calling to you and focus all of your efforts on heeding that call and nothing else. It will take all of your might, mind, and strength.
Little by little, your struggle to hold on to that call will result in an increase in your strength. His grip is like iron. We are the ones that let go. Don’t let go. Don’t get ripped from that foundation. Anchor yourself in it. Trust it. If you feel like you are slipping or giving way, ask him what you need to change about your beliefs to make you stronger. He will tell you. That is who he is and what he does. His character is the foundation that prevents you from being toppled over or carried away and, if you heed what he tells you, you will be able to build your character into something that will be able to withstand anything and everything the devil can throw at you.