A House Built On Rock

When I was young, my father told me the parable of the house built on rock.

The parable is from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It draws upon the analogy of two builders: one builds his house on solid rock, while the other builds his house on sand. The house built on rock stands firm in the face of fierce storms, while the house built on sand is swept away. Jesus used this parable to emphasize the importance of putting his teachings into practice.

The wisdom of building one’s life on a firm foundation is undeniable. Such a foundation is anchored by meaning arising from our connections and relationships. Statistics portray increasing levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness in people’s lives. Too many houses have been built on sand.

Finding meaning is unlike discovering a lost twenty on the sidewalk. It requires reflection and effort. Whether acknowledged or not, the search for meaning is universal and often becomes more pressing with age. But where is it found?

The answer is at once nowhere and everywhere. Meaning arises when our lives are connected to things more significant than ourselves. This may include beliefs, but practices are even more important. A life centered on Self often lacks meaning because, in reality, everything is connected; “we each are a part of one another.”

The original proposition behind social media was to facilitate connectivity. Instead, its addictive powers drew us to islands of isolation. Now, everywhere one looks, people are staring down at their phones rather than interacting. No wonder meaning has gone missing.

I am not religious in a traditional sense, but I am drawn to the spiritual side of life, which I describe in three words: The Miracle of We. I’ve made a life-long practice of searching beyond the confines of Self for meaning, journaling understandings along the way. 

When the pandemic struck five years ago, I needed a positive escape and wondered if others felt the same way. I decided to tap my journal to publish a blog, hoping to cast a ray of sunshine into a growing sea of isolation.   

According to my website, this is my 235^th post. I never expected to write more than a dozen.  

I enjoy writing and sharing ideas. The blog brings these activities together. However, it had an unexpected outcome. The blog forced me to examine my life more closely, to consider what’s important, how I am connected, and where I belong. Writing posts surfaced things I hadn’t considered. Over time, it became clear that I was writing as much for myself as for others. In short, the blog helped me discover meaning. 

Can the pursuit of meaning make a difference in everyone’s life? 

I suppose it depends on how it’s pursued! Meaning arises from relationships. Relationships arise from where we place our attention. Therein lies the secret. Attention is the greatest gift we can give, a gift that is reciprocated with meaning.

Gretchen Rubin, in Secrets of Adulthood, offers great advice: 

“When in doubt about how to spend our time, energy or money, spend it on relationships.”

The universe is characterized by unity; nothing is isolated.  Life’s foundation is anchored by what we give our attention to. When the object of that attention is bigger than Self, we discover that we can weather life’s storms. 

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Installments of The Secret Within can be found here. 

Former blog posts can be found here by subject category and here chronologically. 

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My first book, Towards A Life Well-Lived, can be purchased by clicking this link. Proceeds from sales are donated to Peace In Schools, a Portland, Oregon-based organization that supports mindfulness training in high schools.