Devotionals for the Heart: When Jesus Christ is your Firm Foundation

A Foundation to Make a Better Future
A devotional by Desiree Future

“He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”

—Isaiah 33:6 (NIV)

The year was 1968 when my parents decided to move from South Carolina to New Jersey, or as I’ve heard people say, “Move up north.” My siblings and I were yet to be born. I already had relatives living in two other northern states—one whom we would end up living mere blocks away from.

Why my southern parents decided to leave everything they’ve ever known behind is still a mystery to me. They exchanged the slow-paced-quiet life for the fast-paced inner-city life.

I can still remember their jobs. With just a high school education, my mother worked in a restaurant called Zimps Kitchen. Her uniform was a white dress with the Zimps logo on it. I remember seeing a picture of her slouching in one of the booths when she felt exhausted. If I’m not mistaken, my dad worked at a factory where my mother later joined him. He worked nights and she worked days. Between 1971 and 1974, my sisters and I were born and one of us was always in diapers. Therefore, both of my parents had to work to keep clothes on our backs and food on the table.

After my parents decided to go their separate ways, my mother continued to work at the same job for almost 20 years. And if the business did not close, she would have retired from there. After our six-family house was condemned because of safety hazards, we moved to a new place. Moving to the other side of town was different. My dad was gone, and we had to move in a short period. We settled into our new place and instantly made friends.

The following year, my mother walked me into my fifth-grade class. The teacher and my mother locked eyes then hugged each other. They grew up in the same small town in South Carolina. Mrs. Towns was her name. She was such a nice woman. If the two could have talked forever they would have.

Yes, it was hard for my mother to raise three children on her own but by the grace of God, she did. We had trials and tribulations just like the next family. However, God saw fit to put people in our lives to help. It takes a village to raise a child, they say. I am grateful God sent the whole village by way of my Godmother Mary and her entire family.

The cupboards may have been bare sometimes and the phone may have been disconnected but the rent was always paid. My mother used to say, “As long as the rent is paid, someone will always feed you.” And that’s exactly what happened. We were always fed.

I can’t say we didn’t want anything because we wanted a lot. We wanted the typical things that kids wanted back then—skates, Barbie dolls, board games, and so on. However, God gave us so much more. He gave us hope. Hope that things will get better for us.

When I was about to graduate from high school in 1990, my mother’s factory job closed. That was a hard blow because she had only had that and the waitress job at the restaurant since migrating from the South in the sixties. But just like everything else we made it through. After I became a parent, I re-connected with my father, then he reconnected with my mother (his wife). They say time heals wounds and I can attest to that. The two had forgiven each other despite everything they had been through.

Life was rough but it gave me the foundation to make a better future. It gave me the sense to want better and to do better. I’m a writer, and blogger and eight years away from retiring from my day job. God gave me a solid foundation and here I stand.

Looking back, I now see how my loving God was clearly working through it all. He gave me more than money can buy. He gave me a strong foundation.

Let’s Pray: Lord, I pray that everyone who comes across this devotional finds their strength in You as their foundation. Help them to stand tall. May they know that You are their solid rock. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Firm Foundation (He Won’t)” [feat. Chandler Moore & Cody Carnes] | Maverick City Music | TRIBL. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Through It All” by Andrae Crouch. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “In Christ Alone/The Solid Rock (Live)” by Travis Cottrell. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Desiree Future is a self-improvement blogger at “Hope Faith & A Smile” where she pens inspirational and encouraging posts. 

This blog that she started as a place for her upcoming novel turned into something far more than she expected. It developed into a home for conversations with people from all walks of life. By writing about everyday events that occur in her world she makes her posts very relatable. As some commenters have said, “Desiree talks to us and not at us.”

In 2013, she self-published The Pastor’s Heart, a Christian romance novel. The following year in 2014, she self-published its sequel, It’s a New Season.

Desiree has been a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) since 2020. She’s also been a member of a writing critique group through her local ACFW Chapter since 2021. Several of her articles have appeared on the official blog for ACFW. In 2022, she became a contributing author in the encouraging devotional, The Courage to Write.

This child of God may not have a church home yet, but God is first in her life.

Desiree is a cancer survivor who calls New Jersey home. She enjoys traveling to different places to spark ideas for her next article. She likes thrifting and going to the theater to see the latest matinee.

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Connect with Desiree:
Website: https://desireefuture.com/
E-mail: desireefuturewrites@hotmail.com