I’ve been thinking about foundations lately. No, not the ones that dole out money to this or that activity. And certainly not the cosmetic that covers up the flaws in one’s skin. I’ve been thinking about foundations that support or undergird a structure.
Earlier this year, it dawned on me that we needed to replace our three-season porch and deck. Why? It was sinking at one corner. I had visions of the entire structure eventually spilling haplessly into our back yard.
The porch and deck structure was build 32 years ago and not to modern code requirements. It was one of those mass-production deals that came from a big-box hardware store. They provided the material, and a contractor put it up in short order. When we demolished it in November, the support structure was rotted at the ground level. Were it not for gravity, glue, and good fortune, it would have collapsed.
So, we hired a very reliable contractor who has done excellent work for us in the past to build a new structure. Fortunately, we also have a friend who is an architect who agreed to do the design for us and ensure that the structure would meet the demanding code requirements that are required in our county. This month, we began building it in earnest, and for the past several weeks, I have watched attentively as our contractor digs the foundations for no less than 20 footers to support the porch room and deck. Honestly, I think it could hold the weight of two pickup trucks. To be sure, it is a solid structure.
Watching my contractor at work provoked an image in my mind. If you want to build anything in life, you must get the foundation right. My builder dug down two feet, poured cement in and then set galvanized post anchors in the cement. He then bolted the posts into the anchors ensuring they were upright and aligned to exacting standards. The stringers were then installed and anchored. The rest will follow in short order, the decking and framing for the three-season room and then the deck railing. Last will be the windows and doors for the room. Without a doubt, we have a sound foundation.
There is a Biblical reference to such. Recall the words of Jesus when preaching to a great multitude in Luke 6: 47-49, calling them to be obedient to His words.
“Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
I’m sure this is the best description of a foundation in all of the scriptures. Our foundation in faith is more important than any structure we’re building in our back yard.
But there are other foundations that are important to us as a people and a nation.
Our foundation as a nation is built on godly principles that inspired the great documents that undergird, well, our founding. The two most prominent are the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. Indeed, even before we had a national constitution, our thirteen states had their own constitutions, some of which were instructive and—here’s that word again—foundational to our nation’s supreme law of the land.
Yet there are other foundational things important to our society and civilization. One is traditional marriage between one man and one woman. Likewise, the values of family life and the good citizenship principles we use to instruct our children. Moreover, there are foundational venues like places of worship, fraternal and patriotic societies, and educational institutions that are essential in inculcating the values and virtues a civilized society must have to be worthy of self-governance.
So, how are we doing in the foundations business in America? What’s the state of marriage, intact families, children participating in organizations like Girl and Boy Scouts, Heritage Girls, Trail Life for boys, and people who attend worship services weekly. When we commemorate Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Veterans Day, do we do more than have a picnic, a cookout, a beach trip, fireworks, or a parade? Do we give two coppers about what those days mean? Is Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, or Passover as meaningful to our society as they once were?
I think we have some serious foundation digging to do, America. Let’s start now.
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