Castles Made of Sand

In a place by the sea, there are two friends. The crab and the turtle. The crab is of great wealth, while the turtle is poor. The two decide that they will make their dwelling. The arrogant crab brags to the turtle about his illustrious plans for his grand mansion. The turtle smiles and wishes him well. The two go their own ways and start to make their houses.

A seagull comes and warns the two of a great storm that is coming. The seagull suggests that they make their dwelling atop a large rock, as reinforcement. The crab shrugs it off and continues to build his great mansion. The turtle takes heed, and builds his house atop a great rock.

The crab finishes his grand castle. He recalls the day when the seagull came with the warning, and chuckles at the seagull's foolishness. As he chuckles, a dark cloud comes and swallows the sky. A barrage of rains starts to pound on the things below. The turtle calls from atop the rock for the crab to join him. The crab still indignant, crawls into his castle and tells himself that the storm will pass.

A wave comes and collides with the castle walls. A section of the wall starts to slide into the water. The crab is stubborn and still does not budge. Finally, a mighty wave rushes in and levels the walls that the proud crab held so dearly.

The conceited crab is swallowed by the ocean and is never to be seen again. The proud walls of the castle are ravished. The once magnificent gates are in ruin. The land on which the great and majestic castle was built on is now bare and deserted. A desolate mound of rubble is what remains of the castle made of sand.
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Castles made of sand. We arrogantly perch ourselves atop our own castles of sand. We depend on these fragile castles to give us security, happiness, and fulfillment. Money. Power. Fame. Success. People cling to these things and base their lives on it. But in the long run, these things are worthless. In the end, are these things really that important? In light of an eternity, will these things really matter?

For those who place their hopes on these things, their castles will fall when the tides come. But for those who place their hopes in the living God, they will never be disappointed. For those who seek the kingdom of God, all other things will be given to them. This is easier said than done of course. As people, we are weak, and we turn to worthless idols to save us. Let us not turn to the things of the world to save us, but rather, let us turn to God to deliver us from our troubles. In hard times such as the situation in Haiti, let us turn to God for deliverance. That's all I have for now. Bye!

Oh, and by the way, let us pray for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.