Establishing a Firm Foundation

I have a son who is a civil engineer. A few years ago I visited him while he was working on the Oakland California Bay Bridge project. I was astounded by all that goes into a gigantic bridge, but especially into the pillar foundations, dug out to reach bedrock, several hundred feet below the surface.

On the humanity side of life, each of us has a foundation as well. It is housed in the most inner core of our being where life’s deepest questions and answers are held. That core of our being must also withstand currents, storms, and heavy challenges. How deep must our foundation go? That depends on how long we are to last, how significant our impact is to be, how much weight we carry.

Our human foundation might be described as the assumptions or premises we base our decisions on, our world view. Do relationships, values, or reputations matter? Do we have any control over our destiny? Do we even have significance or are we each just a random collection of human DNA?

Some folks very intentionally consider their foundation and continue to reinforce it. Others do not even consider the fact that they have one. After they are gone, some trigger a eulogy of profound gratitude and some a sigh of relief. Some leave no memory or legacy whatsoever.

An anonymous writer penned the following quote that I have remembered for years:

“Pay attention to your thoughts, for they become your words.
Pay attention to your words, for they become your actions.
Pay attention to your actions, for they become your habits.
Pay attention to your habits, for they become your character.
Pay attention to your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Does character matter? What about fairness? Says who? And what exactly is character? Do I get to define it or do you? Or does someone higher and better than either of us define that? Is that someone our bedrock?

So many precious children, image-bearers of God, come to Wedgwood with a shaky foundation, an inadequate worldview, an inability to trust or hope or form relationships. Perhaps no one modeled fairness or affirmation. No one set limits taught values, responded when they cried.

And so we start to build a foundation of affirmation, forgiveness, safety, and hopefulness. It is intense work! We do so because no child is a random and insignificant collection of DNA. And more often than not, growth ensues. Imitated actions become habits, and then character, and then destiny. Your support of these children is a sign of your character, the depth of your foundation, and the foreshadowing of your legacy. All of us at Wedgwood are deeply grateful!