A Time to Build

One of my favorite songs is Build My Life by Housefires. I especially love this part:

"And I will build my life upon your love, it is a firm foundation

And I will put my trust in you alone

And I will not be shaken"

This week, I have been thinking about the keywords for my year and how they will need to define and direct my year. One of the words that has been ringing out in my heart is to build.

Looking back at my life over the past few years, I realize that my reality now is based on what I built during that time - The prayers I prayed, the skills I developed, the books I read, the courses I took, the relationships I nurtured, etc. They have helped to bring me to where I am presently.

But to get to the next, I need to keep building. I need to find out what is needed for me to do in this season and then I need to do it. For me, one of the things I need to build is my business. It took some time to discern correctly, but I am currently working on building it in this season and have started the process to kick it off.

If like me, you are in a building season, here are some of the things you need to consider before you start:

1) What are you building? - What is being pressed upon your heart to build in this season? A new habit, a new system, a new business, your health, your prayer life? Whatever it is, consider it and start. Get knowledge, get wisdom and get help where you need to. Remember, not building anything is also building something, which is 'nothing'. If you build nothing, you will have nothing to reap at harvest time.

2) Count the cost - Are you starting a business? Taking a course, etc. Whatever it is, Jesus said in Luke 14:28-29 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you."

3) What are you building on? - Our foundation is important. What we are building on matters. It matters because it will determine whether what we build will stand when the storms come. In Matthew 7:24-25, Jesus says “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock".

Consider what you are building on. Are you building on desire, or on people's opinions and expectations? Are you building on falsehoods? Or building on greed? Are you building on status quo or trends?

For me, I am building on love. Not just any love, but God's love. Because it is a firm foundation. Just like the song above says, "And I will build my life upon your love, it is a firm foundation..."