It should come as no surprise that the recent extreme weather has been a major topic of conversation across the UK. Storm Ciara brought a flurry of destruction and disruption, where the country saw 97mph winds, flight and train delays, damage to buildings, floods, and, sadly, two fatalities. And with storm Dennis forecast for this weekend, the UK will likely need to brace itself for more violent winds.

As I watched the news, following the trail of destruction left by Storm Ciara, I saw an awful and heart-wrenching video of a guest house in Hawick, a victim to flooding, as part of the building slid into the racing river below. I could not help but remember the parable of the two men who built their house – one on sand and the other on rock. 

The ​“foolish man” did not hear the words of Jesus, nor did he put them into practice, and so he built his house on sand. Subsequently, ​“the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:26 – 27). But, Jesus said, ​“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24 – 25). 

I believe there are two ways to build our faith to endure the storms in life:

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  1. The ​‘foolish’ way, which is based upon the ways of the world and not on Jesus’ teachings 
  2. The ​‘wise’ way, which is based upon Jesus’ teachings, as per the word of God

I am not saying that the house in Hawick had bad foundations or a bad structure, not least because I don’t know enough about civil engineering and architecture. Yet the video of the house falling goes some way to show how fragile things in life truly are, as a seemingly strong and solid structure collapses into the flowing river below. 

Yes, there were warning signs: there was evidence of water in the walls and cracks had appeared. Perhaps it was believed that in spite of these, the house would withstand a storm. But when the pressure hit, the house couldn’t stand. In light of the parable of the wise and foolish builders, what happened to Hawick guest house illustrates the fragility of the things around us. It also shows us that, if we build our faith and any aspect of our lives on anything other than Jesus’ teachings, when the hard times come, the foundation will not hold us up. 

In January, the BBC reported that Hawick currently has planned a £44m flood protection scheme, due to be completed in late 2022. As with protecting our properties from natural floods and storms, we would do well to put in the work to invest in our spiritual wellbeing. And so, let us ask ourselves, what do we need to do so that when the storms rage we can stand firm, trusting God?

The storms we face in life are not easy, but be encouraged, because whatever we find ourselves facing today, tomorrow and the days to come, our trust is in Christ Jesus, who He says we are, the certain hope that we have in Him, and His commitment to always be with us. We can, therefore, say and know that ​“the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” 

Photo by Marcus Woodbridge