With bloodshot eyes, a swollen face, and a tissue held up to my nose, I frantically searched for the orange Jeep. My flight had already been late, and with another 40-minute drive through the city, I wondered if we’d get there in time.

“Darlene,” Michael said, stepping onto the curb, “I’m parked over here.”

My heart desperately yearned for one thing—one last goodbye, one final farewell to the man who had loved me before I knew how much that love would matter—the first man who held me and still held my heart.

Every second felt like an hour. Every hour, a lifetime of days—until I finally arrived and took my place by his side.

He had lost the ability to speak, but even so, his smile spoke a thousand words. His eyes, a thousand more… And in that holy place where kindred spirits blend, we held on to each other for as long as we could.

That was the last time I saw Dad awake.

Fifteen years later, I still feel a tinge of that pain now and then. I don’t understand how any of this fits into God’s plan. But I’ve learned that faith isn’t about having all the answers. It’s knowing where to stand when we don’t. 

Our study this week led us through two important truths. The first is that God has an eternal purpose for our lives—a purpose that reaches beyond our future and shapes the way we live today.

The second is that Christ is the Cornerstone—the One by whom everything is joined together and upon whom everything rests.

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6, NIV).

Now here’s where it gets personal for us. If every part of God’s plan rests upon Christ, then every part of our lives must come into alignment with Him. He’s not only the foundation of our future hope. He is the foundation for how we live today.

Jesus compared the person who hears His words and puts them into practice to a wise builder who built a 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 7:25, NIV).

Did you catch that? The strength of that house wasn’t found in the absence of storms. It stood firm right in the thick of the storm.

And the same is true for us. A life built upon Christ will still have its share of grief, disappointment, uncertainty, and change, but it won’t collapse under the weight of it all. It is held steady because it is firmly planted in the truth of God’s Word.

Notice the two things Jesus points out: the wise builder hears His words and he puts them into practice.

Hearing the Word is where the building begins. We open our Bibles, listen carefully, and allow God’s truth to shape the way we think. But a firm foundation is built as that truth moves from the page into our everyday lives.

So what does that look like in practical terms?

It means bringing our prayers and petitions to God while humbly accepting His will.

Allowing Scripture to correct our thinking when our feelings are pulling us in another direction.

Choosing obedience when compromise would be easier and returning to Him in repentance when we have wandered.

Sometimes living in alignment with Christ happens in quiet places—in the thoughts we entertain, the words we speak at home, the way we use our time, and the choices no one else sees. It may mean holding our tongue when we would rather defend ourselves. Forgiving when resentment feels justified. Placing a marriage we can’t fix on our own, a child we can’t control, or a future we can’t see clearly into God’s hands.

This is how a life is built upon Christ—one act of trust, one step of obedience, and one surrendered choice at a time. We listen to His Word, bring our fears before Him, and allow His truth to shape the way we live.

We can’t choose the storms that rise around us, but we can choose the ground on which we stand. I’m choosing Christ—my Rock and my Cornerstone.

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11, NIV)

This Week’s Printable

Here is this week’s printable. Click the image to view and print a higher resolution.