Don’t build your house on the sandy land, Don’t build it too near the shore.

Well it might be kinda nice,
But you’ll have to build it twice,
Then you’ll have to build your house once more.
You gotta build your house up on the rocks,
Make a good foundation on a solid spot,
Where the storms may come and go,
But the peace of God you’ll know.”
Unknown Author

This is a simple song, yet filled with meaning, that we used to sing during assembly in primary school. Back then we were just kids (aged 7 to 13) so we did not really care about the songs we sang or what they meant, we only wanted to have fun and sing our lungs out.

This is more than just a song; it’s a way of life and a message that should be written in our hearts, especially young hearts.

Words of wisdom

We have all dreamt about owning a beautiful villa on the seaside with a breathtaking view of the ocean. What about a mansion on the rocks, where you can still have that amazing view and feel safe from raging seas at the same time? 

Matthew 7:24 says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell to the ground.” The Book of Proverbs gives us so much wisdom, and young people cannot afford not to read it, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One, understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). I would like to challenge the youth to refer these sayings of Solomon to themselves. Note chapter 1 summarizes the starting point.

Rule Book or Instruction Book?

Have you ever heard the saying “rules were meant to be broken”? I’m sure we have all seen a rule book or code of conduct. Whatever you do in life there is always a set of rules you have to follow. We have all broken a few rules at some point in our lives. One example is that of parents going away on holiday. Your parents give you a set of rules, things to do and things not to do, and the most important rule is “do not throw a party!” So as soon as the folks leave you decide to ditch the rule book and throw a huge party for all the seniors at school so you can be part of the in crowd. After all they won’t find out, right?

Young people are like that to their parents and to God. Parents give us instructions and God gave us a code of conduct in the Bible to live by – especially in the Book of Proverbs – but most of us throw the code of conduct out the window and do things our own way. When I look around I see young girls falling pregnant, girls and boys experimenting with drugs and alcohol, young men turning to crime because they see it as the last resort and end up losing opportunities and ruining their future. If we don’t follow that important code of conduct we will end up like the foolish man who built his villa on the shore and when those storms came his villa fell to the ground. But if we follow that code of conduct we will be like that wise man who built his mansion on the rocks. Those storms came, but failed to bulldoze his mansion.

Rebuild Your Life

So rebuild your life on those rocks, rebuild those dreams that you had and still have – you are never too old to dream. Be like the prodigal son who realized what his rebellious behavior had caused, not only to himself but also to his father who loved him unconditionally. You can make your way back to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit who loves you for who you are.

Our faith in God should be as solid as that house on the rocks and no matter what storms come into our lives and try to break us down, we know our love and friendship with Christ will not succumb but will become stronger with every passing day. The song we sang back then had a beautiful melody and it made us very happy to sing it, but now I understand its significance and based on this knowledge, informed choices will be made. One last thought is that Jesus takes all the credit. You see he is the Solid Rock on which the house is built.

List of sources:

Plettenberg Bay Primary School song book
New International Version Disciple’s Study Bible