The Rock...

The Rock

As well as books I have used films as sources of inspiration for my posts. However, the inspiration for this post comes from a personal friend. Family dynamics can prove to be a rich source of material.

Robert mentioned a conversation that he had with his younger sister in regard to the family.

Robert: And who is your rock?
Younger Sister: You are.
Robert: And do you know who is my rock? Jesus.

Robert has an elderly mother, living on her own in Melbourne, who regularly phones his younger sister to offload her troubles and woes. The younger sister already weighed down with Mum's woes has an older sister who also rings and offloads her burdens.

Robert, the older brother, likes to call his younger sister to chat and listen. You know how it is in families. One person among the siblings is seen as the rock. And, on this particular occasion Robert, who is often the final person in the chain of family conversation, chose to declare Jesus as his rock.

This was no idle declaration on Robert's part. Nor were they hollow words he had conveyed to his sister. Rather it was a declaration based on the firm conviction that Jesus is a firm rock and shelter. This conviction has been wrought out of difficult times. Robert knows about the storms that can rage on life's journey. The storm of a dysfunctional marriage, separation and divorce, visits to the Family Court to secure access to a delightful daughter and on gaining access rights meeting the stringent conditions of access.

And the storm had only just begun!

One evening Robert was called out from a night class he was attending at the local TAFE College. Three friends had arrived and the sledge-hammer blow was delivered. They had come to tell him the sad news that his daughter, the light of his life, had been killed in a road accident. She was eight years old. The full force of the storm struck.

I know in part Robert's emotional pain and suffering. I have been privileged to observe Robert cling to the foundation of his faith and prove it over the years. Robert is an inspiration and clearly his younger sister values his listening ear and inner strength.

These days you will find Robert actively engaged in his work, his church, the local walking group, where he was appointed secretary, and to cap it off he has completed several family history publications.

Matthew in his gospel records in chapter seven the story Jesus told of the wise and foolish builders, "...everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock."

And likewise, "But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand." The storm came and the house on the sand fell with a great crash.

The words of the old hymn,


On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand,


are as true today as they were back in the days of the hymn writer.

My hope is built on nothing less.

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