The wise man built his house on the rock....

Today Ken and I actually made a decision about our living room furniture.  This has been a long time coming.  We do not usually spend money on things like furniture.  As a matter of fact, most of our furniture has been "hand me downs" from Ken's parents.  The dining set that we are currently using in our dining room was a hand me down from Ken's parents.  And the couch that is currently in our living room was from 2009 when Ken's dad relocated to Florida after the death of Ken's mom.  Today we were actually trying to figure out how old this couch was.  We found a sticker on the back - it was custom made in 1987.  So there you have it - 26 years old! 

 

 

Here is a very early picture of that couch - with Ken and his sister Sue and Gina.  I think this is from the late 80's but I am not sure of the date.  At any rate - its a long, LONG time ago.  But, there you have it.  The couch.  Today we made the decision to have this couch reupholstered.  I am sure not many people would do that today.  But we have been looking for a new couch for a very long time.  If you just want a simple sofa, it is difficult to find!  We were not being very picky, but most that we saw were not made very well and were still very expensive.  And the "bones" of this sofa are really good.  When I made a couple of phone calls to find out about reupholstery, one gentlemen told me that if the sofa could be lifted from one corner with one hand, it was most likely not worth a re-do.  So I tried the experiment.  Nope - I couldn't lift it with one hand.  So today we decided on a floral print that has a beige background instead of the pure white on the original fabric.  I am very happy with the choice.  The cost is about the same as we were finding to purchase a sofa of fairly good quality, and much less than the better quality new one.  So, in about a month, I will have a NEW "OLD" sofa in my living room.  Hooray!

 

And this afternoon, I was thinking about this.  Isn't it true that the foundation is the most important thing?  No matter what you are talking about, if the basic structure is good you can usually make something out of it - even if it seems like a total mess!  In our case the fabric is stained and the quilting is pulling out.  The cushions have been flattened and seem to sag a little bit.  But it is all fixable.   I am so glad that this is true for us and the situations we face.  Even if things look like a total mess and there doesn't seem to be any way to make things right, if the foundation is good, anything is possible. 

 

I am thankful that my life is built on the foundation of Jesus and He is my rock.  I am so glad that I have my feet firmly planted on the ROCK.  I love the parable that Jesus told of the wise man and the foolish man.  The wise man built his house on the rock and the foolish man built his house on the sand.  When the storms came, the house on the sand was destroyed.  But the house on the rock stood firm.  I know that in the situation that I am facing today, although we seem to be in a big storm, the foundation is good.  We just need a really good "upholstery job"!  

 

Thank you Jesus for reminding me that when you are the foundation of something, there is always restoration possible!  You are a great and mighty God that cares so much for us that you speak into the smallest details of our life.  Thank you once again, for reminding me that nothing is impossible with you.  Yahweh, I know that there are many people out there with problems and situations and issues that seem overwhelming.  And I know that you are the answer to those things.  Holy Spirit please speak clearly to us all and show us what things are built on sand, that we just need to let go of when the storms hit.  And then Jesus, speak clearly to us about your restoration plans for these difficult issues that have you as the foundation.   Thank you for being there is in the midst of the storms.   Amen