Today's Gospel relates the parable of the wise man who built his house on a foundation of rock and the fool who chose instead to build on sand. If you're like me, you've heard this story told and retold for many years. It begins and I sort of tune out. I know this one. Lesson learned! In fact, I go ahead and imagine myself perched high upon the rocky mountain next to the wise man. Together we stand looking down with pity at the poor slob shoring up the walls of his fancy new beach house. We (the wise man and myself) shake our heads in disgust, cluck our tongues, and share a knowing look of "he'll just never learn."
I know the story, and I also know the moral--Dude, don't build on sand! I automatically place myself on the winning side. I am a rock builder from way back, says I with smug assurance. But am I really? What does it mean to build on sand?
Maybe building on sand involves those hasty, impulsive decisions I make sometimes. The ones that seem so important that I couldn't possible take time to check out the details or consequences. Those same decisions that I find myself regretting later and hoping to fix quickly so no one else notices. Maybe I'm really just dusting sand off my shoes.
What about those relationships that I choose not to tend? I'm too busy to call her. I'm too tired to talk to him. I don't want to deal with those issues right now. Relationships built on sand are susceptible to strong, unexpected currents, but even gentle waves can cause drift.
The more I think about all the things I build in life, the more I find shades of myself in that poor fool on the beach. Perhaps I'm really standing not too far down the shore from him. It makes me realize that just because I've heard the story a hundred times before, I'm not necessarily on the right side of the moral.
Think about it. Notice any sand on your shoes today?
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