Sometimes I wish I could spend more time, money and energy on myself and less on others.
Selfish? Yep.
True? Absolutely.
I bet I’m not alone. I bet there are times when you want to say, “Sorry, God, find someone else today. I’m busy.”
Only we’re not busy. The truth is, sometimes we just don’t feel like doing the right thing.
We talk a lot about integrity in our house. That means doing the right thing even when no one is looking.
It’s easy to be your best self when you have an audience — or someone to hold you accountable. It’s a little trickier when we’re alone and we start hearing the voice of the enemy whispering in our ears… Do you know what you could do with that money? Don’t you deserve a little extra kindness for yourself today? Let someone else be in charge of spreading the light, they’ll probably do a better job anyway.
Lies. All lies.
They come up against us, again and again, like a series of waves trying to beat us down and make us fall so that eventually we drown.
How do we stand firm in the face of the temptation to do our own thing, make our own rules, give up on the light?
We go to the Light.
I sat in God’s presence, humbly apologizing for my hard heart, when I opened up to Luke 6:48 (NLT), “It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.” 
Jesus is the one speaking here. Notice he says, “When the floodwaters rise…” He knows that those powerful waves will come. But he also knows that God is more powerful, and if we commit our ways to Him, again and again, even when we are tempted and ashamed to admit what’s in our hearts, He will hold us strong.
I take immense comfort in that. God sets us on firm ground and gives us exactly what we need to weather the storm. Far from perfect, and far from strong, our only job is to keep coming to God day after day, allowing Him to fortify us and provide the best flood insurance possible. All we have to do is ask.
God, help me build a solid foundation in you so that when the storms come crashing, I will stand strong. Amen.
