God, the Builder

I’m a Longhorn, a proud University of Texas graduate. I worked hard to earn a degree and even met my husband there. So, yes, we’re both Longhorns!

I used to say we weren’t those “fanatical Longhorn fans,” but then I noticed the amount of burnt orange clothing hanging in our closets, the UT flag on the front of the house, the room in our house that is painted burnt orange, and I realized I needed to admit we were a little more “fanatical” than I thought.

With this season’s launch of the new Longhorn Network on TV, my husband and I were ready for the UT season opener vs. Rice on September 3. We were nervous because we hadn’t had the best season last year—something the announcers were intent on not letting us forget. But the Longhorns have had great success on the field, and the fans have always been committed to the team.

The fan motto at UT is, “Come early, be loud, and stay late.” Though, we noticed that once the team was losing more than it was winning, the crowd started to get smaller. They weren’t as early, loud or late. So, Coach Mack Brown began asking the fans to once again support the team win or lose and to remain true to the Longhorns. He promised a stronger team in 2011, one built “brick by brick.”

Recently, I got to thinking about his phrase. Brick by brick…Isn’t that how our faith is built? Layer by layer, through life experiences, prayer, studying Scripture and attending church. Like any building, our faith has to be cared for, maintained, repaired when it’s cracked and fortified when it wears down.

One of my favorite sayings is that you can’t always see where God is leading you, but you can always look back and see where He has been. Often, in looking back, we find that it was during the times of greatest struggle that His presence was most clear. In those times, He was busy adding more bricks, creating a stronger foundation for Christ. For me, during those times in my life, I learned that it was worth “coming early, being loud and staying late.”

Today, no matter what season of life you are facing, commit to remaining faithful as a follower of Christ. Allow Him to be the builder of your soul and choose to stand firm on the foundation He has given you—the gift of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, whose life, death and resurrection have granted us ultimate eternal victory.