Rocks have been on and under this earth since the beginning. Early man found shelter within a cave of rock. Man cooked his food on a heated rock and also made his weapons out of rock.
Later, as man’s engineering skills grew, he built houses and temples out of rock. Through trial and error, man soon learned that without the right type and placement of a cornerstone, all his work was for naught, as the structure would either lean or come crashing to the ground.
Jesus said in Matthew 7: 24-25: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice, is a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it didn’t fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
Different types of rocks can be found in most places on earth and even under water. Some places have so many rocks you can’t even put your foot down without stepping on one. Other places like deserts and swamps, and even the Sandhills of North Carolina, are just about void of rocks.
Seems my grandparents, and theirs before them, lived in a house that was built on family land in northern Richmond County. The house and land are on the edge of the old Uwharrie Mountain range, which runs through the Piedmont area of our state.
Today, all that remains of the homeplace is the rock pillar foundation and a set of rock steps. Seems some arsonist decided to burn the house down.
The rocks found in the clay land were used to build the foundation, chimneys and steps of the home place were gathered from nearby fields and streams. With all the rolling hills and valleys, rocks are plentiful, as are the snakes.
As my ancestors before me found out, to cultivate a field you had to first remove the iron and white flint rocks that just seemed to grow out of the earth. Removing rocks out of a field is not an easy one-time thing. No sirree, seems every time the ground freezes, more rocks push up out of the ground for a farmer’s plow to hit.
As our ancestors removed the rocks from their fields by hand, most were placed on horse-drawn carts or wagons. They were then piled up around the edge of the field. The flat-sided rocks were set aside to be used to build rock walls or for building materials.
In some cases, dry walls (walls without any type of mortar), are still standing. These early walls were used as pasture fences or even land borders. Sometimes, small holes were left in them to allow foxes and other small animals to pass through.
When early settlers were in a hurry to build a shelter, they would simply dig four holes and place wooden posts in as a foundation. Later, they would place fieldstones under the structure for better support as fieldstone foundations can last hundreds of years.
Without a firm foundation, a home or building would simply sink into the ground. To avoid this, homes were elevated and leveled, using what they called padstones. This would put the weight of the building not on the ground, but on the stones.
Stone foundations haven’t been used much since the 1950s because cheaper materials have been devised, such as poured concrete and cement blocks, both of which are faster to construct and require less skilled labor. But they don’t last as long.
In closing, we have learned that a good firm foundation is completely necessary for a house to stand, but this concept can also apply to our very own lives. Without a firm Christian foundation, our lives can sink into sin and despair, just as a house without a proper foundation would sink into the sand.
My hope and prayer for this Christmas and New Year’s holidays is that you would build your life with a firm Biblical foundation so that you will be a role model for others to see. Build your faith and hope on a solid rock, and that rock is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He will hold you up from the sands and pitfalls of this life and guide you through eternal life with him.
Y’all stay safe out there, you hear.
J.A. Bolton is author of “Just Passing Time,” co-author of “Just Passing Time Together,” and just released his new book “Southern Fried: Down-Home Stories,” all of which can be purchased on Amazon. Contact him at ja@jabolton.com
