Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. You know the story: The three pigs leave home to make their way in the world. Concerned only with a life of leisure, the first two pigs build their houses as quickly as possible, unconcerned about what forces may blow their way. Soon both the house of straw and the house of sticks are lying in piles and the two porky brothers are racing for their lives under the hot breath of the big bad wolf.

Fortunately for the lazy pigs, their brother had been more concerned with strength than leisure and had built his house of bricks. Strong. Stable. Solid. As the three brothers huddled in the house of brick, they found a fortress that kept the evil wolf at bay.

Jesus told a story about building houses, too. At the end of what we know as “The Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus said to the crowd:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell – and great was its fall! – Matthew 7:24-27

Building materials matter. Strong bricks make a strong structure. Straw and sticks are easily blown away. But even more important is the foundation. A brick house built on shifting sand will crumble as easily as a house made of straw when the wind starts to blow.

The only sure foundation is Jesus Christ. His word is bedrock. Strong. Stable. Solid. When we build our lives on him, we find strength in every storm and shelter from every big bad wolf that comes knocking. But you must build the house before the storm strikes or the wolf begins to prowl.

Start building today by offering a prayer to God. Tell him your worries and fears. Ask him to speak to you. Then lay another brick on the foundation by reading the Bible. If this is new for you, start with reading for a few minutes and asking God what he wants to say to you. And remember, building is easier when you have a partner in the work. Find a Christian friend who will read and pray with you. Soon you will find you have a strong house, a strong life, built on faith in Jesus.