The Sandcastle

Originally written 9/16/05

A small boy once asked his father how to build a sandcastle. The family was planning a trip to the beach and he wanted desperately to attempt to build the grandest castle on the beach. He had seen pictures of such castles on T.V. and in magazines and yearned to make one of his own. His father stated, "When building a sandcastle the most important thing to remember is to place a large rock in the sand where you plan to build the structure. Once you have found a rock and placed it firmly in the sand, then and only then should you begin building your castle". The son replied, "But father, what should the castle look like, and how big should I build it?". The father simply said, "Son, just be certain that the rock is first, and everything else will be fine".
The next week, the family headed out on their trip to the beach as planned. When the time came to head out to the water, the young boy eagerly bounded to the beach with bucket and shovel in hand. Remembering his father's words, he immediately searched for a suitable rock to place where he was to build his castle. He finally found a wonderful rock and even had to ask for help in transporting it to where he needed it to be. Following this, he finally began to build his castle. The remainder of the day was spent creating the most magnificent sandcastle ever imagined by a young boy. There was a moat surrounding the structure, with impressive walls and even a drawbridge made of driftwood. Four tall towers commanded the corners, and there was a large central courtyard with each tower being topped with a tall central spire and flag. As the sun set, the boy sat back and admired his handiwork, very proud of his accomplishment!
As he basked in the glow of his grand achievement, he was suddenly gripped with fear. The tide was slowly rising and beginning to encroach on his castle. To his great dismay the waves slowly began to methodically destroy the magnificent structure. The drawbridge was washed out to sea and the grand towers melted back to the beach. In a very short time, nothing remained of his creation. The next morning when the tide was again at its low point, all that remained was the rock marking what once was the grandest castle ever. As the boy sat and stared at the destruction, crying over the loss, he suddenly felt the large, warm grip of his father's hand on his shoulder. His father picked him up and held him close. The boy explained all that he had witnessed. When he had finished explaining everything, his father replied "Son, your castle is not completely gone. Even though the water washed most of it away, the rock that you placed as the foundation is still there. You put your faith in my words and heeded my advice to place the rock first. Although you did not initially understand why this was important, you did as I asked out of faith. No matter what storms may come, the rock will stay firm, marking where you built the castle. You can always re-build the castle, with the knowledge that the foundation will always remain".

The father in the story is God and the boy represents you and me. The rock represents Christ, and if we place Him at the center and start with Him always, even though all around us may crumble, He will always be there for us, marking the way to our true home and true castle. The waves will come many times and destroy the sandcastles we build, but we can take comfort and refuge in God's hand on our shoulder during hard times. Through this we will always be brought back by keeping Christ in our sight and at the center and core.