And the House on the Sand Went Splat!

By:  Donna Martin

I love building sandcastles on the beach with my children and now with my grandchildren.  Unfortunately, when the tide rises or a big wave tumbles upon the shore the sand castle crumbles away in much less time than it took to build it.

Many marriages today are like the castle built on the sand.  When the storms of life, the worries of the word, and temptations invade the lives of couples, their marriage crumbles and the home they have built goes splat.  They have no foundation for keeping their marriage strong.  It is not storm proofed.  The couple may be a Christian couple, but as Mark 4:19 states, “…the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”

When people “choke the word” as Mark says, they become so busy with everything else in life that they forget about God and what He has done for them.  They forget to pray, they do not spend quiet moments with God reading the Bible, and they stop attending church or Bible study.  Their priorities are out of order.  Many people are not even aware of how far they have drifted from God’s purpose until everything crumbles.

How can you prevent this from happening?  First of all pray.  Ask God to open your eyes to see all that He has done for you.  Ask him to draw you close to him and to help you love Him.  1 Thessalonians 5:7 tells us to “Pray continually.”  You don’t have to stop and close your eyes to pray, you can pray anytime anywhere.  Throughout your day, thank God for his blessings, ask him to help you with your difficulties, pray for your family, and pray for other people you encounter. 

Find a time during the day that you can be still read the Bible, and pray. It could be early in the morning, at your lunch break, or at night before you go to bed.  Psalms 46:10 tells us to “Be still and know that I am God.”  If you are a busy mother with children this may be difficult to do and even impossible on some days, but try to find just 5 minutes to be alone with God.

Pray with your spouse and with your children every day.  When our children were home we had a family devotional every night with our children before we tucked them in for bed.  We read a short Bible story and each person said a prayer.  There are many devotional books available for children and teens.  Now that our children are grown, Mike and I still continue to pray together every night.

Go with your family to church.  Be sure to attend Bible Study and the worship service together.  Hebrews 10:25 states, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  Worshiping with other believers encourages us and helps us to grow closer to God.

After his Sermon on the Mount Jesus told the crowd, “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.” (Matthew 7:24-25).  You can read His sermon in Matthew 5-6.

Begin today to build your house upon the Rock, Jesus Christ.  Read His words, make Him first in your life, and teach your children to do the same.

The Martins currently present “Happy Together” Marriage Enrichment Events for churches and organizations.  To schedule an event call Michael at 940-735-1515. They are certified “Prepare/Enrich” Facilitators and are available to work with couples on an individual basis using the “Prepare/Enrich Assessment.”  They publish a weekly “Happy Together” Blog about family and marriage issues.  You can order copies of their new books Dancing With Death and 366 Tidbits We Have Learned in 14,610 Days of Marriage, read, and subscribe to their “Happy Together” Blog by logging onto the Martin’s website at www.happytogethermarriages.com.

You can order the following Devotional Books for children, teens, or couples by clicking on the books.