Every spring, my family looks forward to welcoming birds into our trees as they build their nests and begin their families. We are treated to “fostering” many robins but have also had doves and blue jays stay with us for brief seasons. It’s great to watch them construct their roosts, welcome their offspring and to see them prosper while the parent birds train their young ones to be birds. It’s not unusual to see little birds hopping in our grass as mom and dad look on from above. This spring was no exception. In one tree, we hosted doves, robins and blue jays. It’s been a great joy despite some of the messiness and noise they make. However, this year reminded me of a great lesson on building your home on a firm foundation. My family and I vacationed last week and were away from home. While we were away, there were tremendous storms that ripped through our area and brought high winds with them. When we pulled into the driveway, it was obvious that one next had proven too unstable to endure the force of the storms. I pointed it out to my wife and suggested they nest was probably empty because of the timing of the season. We went inside to unpack our belongings and get the homestead moving forward again. In our haste, we didn’t think twice about the nest that had fallen. The next morning, my wife mentioned that it wasn’t empty after she had been outside. When I went to check on it, sure enough, there were three young birds lying on the ground near the nest.

The Storms of Life Can Bring Down Your Whole Nest

This simple story was even more saddening because the three young birds were probably just a week or two from leaving the nest and embarking upon their own life. Instead, the winds of the storms of life ripped through the leaves and branches, knocking the clump of twigs, string, sticks and other materials to the ground. With those materials, the lives of those young birds came to a tragic end. The parents did absolutely everything they could to build the home in the most secure place possible and give their young ones good shelter until they were able to fend for their own. As a parent, I can relate. I have done everything I can to provide not only a safe, but a comfortable home for my children. I’ve taught them about window locks, the proper way to answer the door and how to be secure. It’s a strong home. But it wouldn’t stand up to a tornado. It wouldn’t deflect a falling tree. It’s not immune to fire and lightning. My house is nothing more than a pile of earthly materials; much like the nest the parent birds thought would withstand the storms of life. Fortunately, my home is built on the rock that is Jesus Christ. Whom then shall I fear?

To Withstand Storms of Life, Build Your Home on the Rock

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do 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 beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. - Matthew 26:25-27

Later this week, I am taking a significant risk. I will be sharing my plans for a book that is more than a year in the making. In fact, I had originally planned to publish it almost a year ago. Since the time that I had originally planned to publish it, I have rewritten many parts, edited several times, solicited feedback from trusted sources, developed an in-depth launch plan and done pretty much everything except release it. It’s time to stop putting it off and I will explain why now is the right timing for it in the next post that will appear on Wednesday (though I do intend to share it with 1Glories Swarm readers ahead of the post going live). There are many risks to consider. Is it really ready? Do I have a large enough target audience? Have I gotten enough reviewers? Is my plan solid? Is the timing too compressed? There is a lot of personal insights in there – will people think less of me for sharing it? Will anyone buy it? There is so much that can go wrong. The storms of life can crush it. But there is so much that can go right. It’s rooted in the Rock that is Jesus Christ. Therefore, even if the storms of life crush it, it is meant to be, and I will receive the blessing of a refining life no matter the outcome.

Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any. - Isaiah 44:8