He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock – Luke 6: 48
We Were The Mulvaneys is a perfect example of a glass house that, from all appearances, merited envy. However, that was until a crime of sexual violence committed against the daughter, Marianne, altered the environment from joy and merriment to shame, anger, and resentment. Ultimately, the family’s foundation crumbled, as it was unable to withstand the trauma’s impact on their relationships with each other and its impairment of their well-respected reputation.
Jesus’ message, in which He used the building of houses upon different foundations as a metaphor for faith, is recorded by two of the Gospel writers: Matthew and Luke. One man had chosen sand, while the other man had selected a sturdy rock. In both accounts, when storms and forceful winds descended, only the house with a resilient foundation built on rock survived. Jesus’ teachings about the testing of faith apply to family dynamics—the underlying behaviors that govern the way members interact. If a family is built on love and unity, trials will shake the foundation, but they won’t dismantle it; instead, they will strengthen it.
God’s transformation process includes families living in glass houses, dwellings that are fragile and fractured. He will rebuild them into homes that are shatterproof, strong, and united, with families capable of withstanding whatever storm descends upon them.