Have you ever made a sandcastle? Growing up, our family would take day trips to visit Lake Michigan. Looking left and right, the lake seemed to have no end. It was much like looking at the ocean. The lake was beautiful with gentle waves and small treasures like smooth beach glass and pieces of driftwood. We watched sunsets, fishing boats far from shore, and small fish swimming around our feet—but what excited me most were the sand dunes. We would often visit Van Buren State Park in South Haven, MI. On the way to the water, we would encounter large sand hills called dunes. Climbing and running down the dunes often ended with me sliding or tumbling the rest of the way down. Sand was an unpredictable surface. My feet would sink and slide with each step. I took it as a challenge to stay upright all the way down the hill.
Sand dunes are created when the wind picks up dry sand grains and causes them to bounce along the ground, much like a hopping kangaroo. The sand will keep bouncing until it meets a barrier. It will rest there until a strong wind pushes it up the hill. The beaches on the east side of Lake Michigan have the largest sand dunes around freshwater in the world. Dunes can also be found along the ocean, formed from sand that washes up on beaches. Sand is hard to walk on, fun to build with, and will likely stick to everything you brought to the beach.
Why does God discourage us from building on sand? In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus discusses the wise person and the foolish one. The wise person builds a house on a rock. The foolish one builds on sand. When the storms of life come, the wise person’s house stands strong, but the foolish person’s house falls with a “great crash." So, how do you become wise? Matthew 7:24 says, “Everyone who hears my words and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock." God wants us to listen to His word, the Bible, so we can live wisely and build things that last.
What happens to a sandcastle when the water level rises, and the tide comes in? The water slowly destroys the sandcastle until it is no more. Although it is fun to create, it is not meant to last long. That is why God wants us to build our lives on His word, because it lasts forever.
