One by one. Ever so carefully. We stacked the pieces with fingers crossed.
The tower stood tall, having occupied me, a teenage helper, and several nursery kiddos for most of our time together.
All it took was one wide-eyed, deviously grinning four-year-old. He slipped through our grasp, and, with one swift kick, it all came tumbling down.
Months. It took months to build those set pieces. Weeks and weeks with entire evenings dedicated to planning, painting, and assembling before the big performances. Most of us in the cast and crew were over the moon with excitement and a sense of accomplishment.
Then came “strike.” That’s what demolition day was called in my theatre group.
In a matter of hours, all that work was undone.
Prayer and Google lined the road God paved. With limited time, we’d carefully and nervously pieced together our plans. It was only months before that someone else’s plans determined our original expectations wouldn’t come to fruition.
So, we were trying again. The job was accepted. Paperwork signed. Moving truck loaded and driven 1000+ miles. I had the signed lease in my hand.
She had a different, unsigned lease in hers, and a manipulative smile as she demanded more money than we could pay. Homeless in a new state, all our plans were in shambles. Again.
The speaker’s topic at the college event was friendship. She told her listeners about the friendships she’d had over the years. Many were rich, warm, and personal. But in time, some ended. Friends she’d spent her days with, even lived with, were now a part of the past.
As a student just beginning to think about graduation and next steps, I hadn’t thought about that. Many friendships are for seasons. Today, I only keep in touch with a handful of the multitude of friends I talked to all the time back then.
Realizing how easily and quickly friendships grow apart after so long growing together seemed earth-shattering at the time.
Tedious stacks, love-labored projects, prayed-over plans, pined-over friendships. Things we build into are dismantled more easily than we think.
Fragility in this world can make us feel unstable. Change can feel like sinking sand. But there is joy, hope, and confidence for those whose foundation is Christ. Click To Tweet- Christ Himself is the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20)
- When He is our foundation, we build on solid rock (Matthew 7:24)
- God is our rock, refuge, and fortress; He will not be moved (Psalm 62:6)
- The believer’s foundation in Christ is firm (2 Timothy 2:19)
- Even if struck down, believers are not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:9)
There is no dismantling salvation. No one can shatter grace. No force or blow or wandering can separate Christ from those who belong to Him.
So, though our work caves, though plans sway, though friendships fade, though expectations give away, we know that our foundation is sure.
Because Christ is building us, we can keep building with confidence. Click To Tweet{A version of this post was previously published here.}
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So thankful for all we have in Christ that can not be shaken, destroyed, or stolen away.
Me too, Barbara! Glad to see you here!
Bethany, with each passing day, I grow more and more grateful for our unchanging and stable Jesus. Our one and true constant.
Me too, Joanne! Glad to see you here!
Thank you, Bethany, for turning my thoughts this morning toward the living, unshakable kingdom of God.
I needed my thoughts turned there, too, Michele! Thank you!
Bethany, it shakes us to see how temporal the things of this world are. May we plant our hope in the one who never changes.
Amen, Debbie!
This is so encouraging. Thank you.
Thank you, Lauren! Glad to see you here!
How awesome is it that “no one can shatter grace!” Praise God! If nothing else, we can definitely rejoice in that.
Amen! Praise the Lord!
Such a good post, Bethany. I totally relate to the seasonal nature of friendship … it used to make me sad or think there was something wrong with me until I realized that’s often just how it is. Now I’m grateful for the time I’ve had with certain friends over the years, and I am especially grateful for the friendships that HAVE remained over decades. The older I get, the more comforting it is to know the foundation upon which we stand is eternal and unshakable. Hugs, friend!
I’m thankful you can relate, Lois! Yes, it used to make me wonder the same things but as you said, now I’m just extra grateful for those enduring friendships, and for our unchanging foundation in God! Thanks for joining in here!