Psalm 127:1–Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
This past year I had the opportunity to visit Detroit/Ohio for a few days, and seeing all my family come by to visit me was great to experience.  But there was something that seemed almost “hollow” about visiting.  That every since my grandparents passed away, there was no real “glue” to keep me really connected to them…
Then I realized that the foundation or substance of my relationship with the rest of my family was my grandparents, not really the individual relationships I had with my aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Because they were my foundation to being connected to everyone else, much of my affections had faded towards ever living back there.
In other words, as influential as I remember my grandparents were to all the family.  Having them as a foundation to hold up everything was impossible and unfair to them, because they were finite/temporary.  It was a harsh reality, that even good memories couldn’t withstand being a foundation to hold the family together…
Eventually you realize that many relationships share the same foundation, that may not be the Lord at all.  You may share the same anger with a parent, that you and your sibling(s) have as your foundation?  Or you may build your foundation on loving animals together, or being fans of a team?  You see a lot of people trying to share a foundation that isn’t strong enough to keep them invested long-term.  The most common one is having the children be the foundation of a marriage.  Leaving you to ask some hard honest questions later, about why are you together other than the kids?
Anytime we put the Lord as the “end all be all” even over good things, we have to humble ourselves to do so.  Because to think that a foundation other than Jesus is sustainable, is to value what we build over what He could build, which is pride.  Affections are powerful, and powerful enough to persuade us to think that if we feel strong about it, it is strong!  But faith and wisdom reveal that in the long-term, the only one strong is Jesus, and only He can sustain a foundation you want it to last for a lifetime.
In His Love, Ld