Without a foundation in God, you have nowhere to stand

“Without a foundation in God, you have nowhere to stand.” The world is full of people with nowhere to stand. We recognize this when we see people who are rich, famous, talented, or otherwise successful, whose lives are a mess. How can people who have everything going for them, not be any more successful in living normal, happy lives? Yet the world is full of these people. They seem to have it all but the foundation on which their lives are built is anything but solid. 
The answer to a happy life has to do with the foundation on which we stand. We know that every tall building has a deep foundation. If you have ever watched the construction of a skyscraper, you know how deep the construction crew digs the foundation. Steel rods are driven into the bedrock to be sure the foundation will support the tall structure they intend to build on it. If this is true for buildings, isn’t it true for our lives? If we want to have a great life, don’t we need a solid, sturdy, and dependable foundation? 
The best foundation for life is God. Why is this? Because there is nothing more solid. In fact, everything else is unstable. Only God can provide the kind of foundation that will stand up under the pressures every life eventually feels. Think about it this way. What is truly a good support for one’s life? One answer is money. If we have enough money, we will be able to live a comfortable life with sufficient ease to make us happy. But it only takes a little thought to realize how shortsighted this notion is. What if we have money but our health is rotten? What if we have plenty of material things but our relationships are a wreck? Can money fix those things? No! If money is our foundation, we have nowhere to stand!
Some people think that they are the best foundation for their life. That is, they think that if they are strong and independent, facing life with determination, their grit and resolve will be able to see them through life’s challenges. But if we only have ourselves to depend on, our resources are very small. Everyone’s life is built on the shoulders of others; no one is able to do everything themselves. In addition, all lives have moments when we reach the limits of our own resources. We need somewhere to turn besides ourselves. If you are the foundation of your life, you have no solid place to stand! 
Why is God a better foundation for a happy life? Because God is eternal, immovable, unchangeable, and all powerful. Nothing shakes God; for that reason, he is a the only sufficient foundation for a person’s life. If we want a foundation that is never moved, God is the only one who if able to provide it. Not only is God solid, however, he is good. He is good and our caring heavenly Father. That God is both powerful and good makes him the perfect foundation on which our lives be built.
How do you make God the foundation of your life? By believing in him, acknowledging his presence, and giving him thanks for the blessings of your life. There is plenty of reasons to believe that there is a God. All houses have builders. It makes sense that the Maker and Builder of this world, including ourselves, is God. It makes sense that a world with such order, beauty, and apparent design, did not just come along randomly. 
Once we recognize the existence of God, the next simple thing to do is turn our minds and hearts toward him. A good first step is to say, “Thank you,” to God for our various blessings. Every life has blessings. You and I both have them. Blessings, by definition, are things that have come to us as gifts. As it is appropriate to thank people for gifts they give us, so it is appropriate to say, “Thank you,” to God. Everyone has something for which to thank God. Everyone has natural gifts and talents that we did not earn; we were born with them. We may have developed them but the raw material for them was a gift from above. We ought to be honest enough to admit that they came from outside ourselves, that they were given to us by God. It is natural and logical to turn our heart to God and express to him appreciation for what he has done for us. 
The Greek philosopher Archimedes once said, “Give me a place to stand, and a lever long enough, and I will move the world.” He recognized the mechanical power of the simple instrument, the lever. If you were to put the fulcrum close to the earth and had a lever long enough (of course, it would have to be very, very long), the mechanical advantage of the level would give you the ability to move, even an object as large as the earth. To do so, however, Archimedes realized, you needed a solid place to stand. Without it, nothing else worked. 
If your life is not founded on God, you have nowhere to stand. If, however, you have a solid place to stand, you can accomplish great things, not be blown about by every wind of circumstance, difficulty, or trouble, and perhaps even move mountains. Make God the foundation of your life and you have the beginnings of a life that will be meaningful, significant, authentic, and happy.