Laying a Cornerstone

Copyright 1997 Gloria Fisher. All rights reserved.

As a writer and an artist I've learned some valuable lessons about laying life’s foundations. One of those lessons taught me that every good foundation starts with a cornerstone. The lessons I’ve learned about foundations and cornerstones translate easily and naturally into my Christian life and into my personal lifestyle.

Whenever I begin writing an article or a chapter in a book, I create an outline. The outline shows me the beginning, the middle, and the ending of whatever I’m writing. During the writing process that outline keeps me focused on my purpose by always reminding me what the subject matter truly is, in case my mind starts to wander. My outline tells me when to stop in the event I get caught up in the sheer pleasure of writing and keep on long after the story has been told. In other words, the outline sets up the structure of the story, sets up the road marks along the way, and sets my inner clock that chimes, "It is finished."

The same holds true when I wear my artist hat. Whether I am drawing or painting, I start with a sketch. The sketch is vitally important and requires perfection. Because if the sketch is off in any area, if the perspective is wrong, then no matter how many lines I add, no matter how many shadows I paint in, the final effect is never right–a body of water floats in the air, a road goes off to nowhere. When that happens, the only solution is to begin again.

Over and over I find those lessons also apply to my life. "Why didn’t that marriage work out?" I ask myself. I worked so hard on it! What happened to that job I wanted so badly? Nothing seemed to work out there. I thought I had it nailed. Maybe you’ve asked these same questions. But when I take time to pray and listen to God, sooner or later I’ll discover there was a time at the beginning of the process when I was trying to do it by sheer will power and had started the whole endeavor just because it was something I wanted. I had forgotten to get God involved from the very beginning.

If I had taken the time to stop before starting a new stage of my life and asked Christ to be the cornerstone, then the foundations I built would not have later crumbled and fallen. Do you ever wonder why your life seems a "little off?" Or maybe off a lot, and you still don’t know why. We wonder why things continue to go wrong for us. And that leads to a lot of frustration, of tearing down and rebuilding which wastes time and energy. We think, "I should be further down this road at my age." A lot of us keep learning the same lessons over and over again, whether they involve marriages, careers, or relationships. But when we build foundations on ourselves, our talents, or even on our knowledge, it’s just never enough.

Those kinds of foundations will never support our hopes and dreams. For me, every word that is added to a faulty outline, every line drawn on a crooked sketch, ends up in the trash. Similarly, any weak foundation will sooner or later fall. In the face of life's problems, it takes a strong structure built on a rock-solid foundation to withstand hard times. What does it take to build a rock-solid foundation? There is only one thing. A perfect cornerstone on which to build our lives. That rock is Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 28:16 says, "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone, for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.’" If God, who is the Creator, lays a cornerstone for His foundation, then we can trust without a doubt that God’s pattern of building will also work for us.

What was this costly cornerstone Isaiah was prophesying about? It was God’s own son, Jesus Christ. He was the cornerstone for the foundation on whom God would build holy temples in which to house His Holy Spirit. Paul, the apostle, wrote to the saints in Ephesus saying, (Ephesians 2:20-22), "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone; In whom the whole building being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord: In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."

What exactly is a cornerstone? The dictionary defines it as, "a stone uniting two walls and forming a corner of a building which will determine how true the angles will be that rise from the one stone. The cornerstone is most important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure."

How is your structure? Is your life full of strife and anger? Or does peace reign supreme? Now might be a good time to look back and ask yourself, "What is the cornerstone of my foundation? What are all my hopes and dreams built upon?" If your answer is, "Me" or if your answer is "Tom, Dick, or Harry," then, more than likely, the cornerstone of your foundation is not true and sure. So how can you expect the framework of your life to stand erect and strong?
You may say, "If everything crumbles and falls, I can always start over. I’ve done it before. I can do it again." Yes, you can. But how much time and energy are you willing to waste starting over time and time again? And how will the next time be any different from this time? How many times are you willing to start over?

Perhaps it’s time to reevaluate the foundations of your life. Give yourself some time alone, commit, maybe for the first time, or recommit your life to Christ. Give Him your life, your children, your work, and ask Him to be the cornerstone of your life. Reassure yourself and Him that everything from this moment on will be built on Him. Turn loose and give Him your whole life. Let Him be your cornerstone. When He is, everything you build in your life will be measured from a new viewpoint.

Before you make a life decision you’ll want to know what God says about it. You’ll measure your life according to God’s word. You’ll be praying before you commit to a marriage. You’ll pray before you decide to take that new job. Before, and not after, you start a new business you’ll ask God’s opinion. Every decision will be weighed and measured starting from the cornerstone. Soon you’ll find that you’re making fewer mistakes in your personal decisions. You’ll be walking away from fewer disasters. You’ll be starting over less and less. Success will chase you down. Everything you set your hand to will prosper. Blessings will flow into every area of your life. When Jesus Christ is your cornerstone, everything you build will stand strong, true, and fortified. Your life will be a mighty fortress.