Then the storm blew in. Image from Pixabay
A modern retelling of "The Wise and Foolish Builders"
In the small Florida town of Micanopy — the kind of place where the post office closes for lunch and everyone knows who bought the old Miller place — two friends, Jordan and Casey, decided to chase the dream of building their own houses.
Both wanted the perfect smart home: voice assistants in every room, solar panels, app-controlled lighting, and of course, gig-speed Wi-Fi.
Jordan took his time. He researched the land, brought in soil engineers, and even sat down with the oldest contractor in town — a man who measured experience in decades and coffee cups — to talk about foundations. Jordan spent extra for reinforced concrete, drainage systems, and insulation that could handle Florida summers, hurricanes, and whatever else climate change might throw at them. On the roof was an outdoor patio for quiet, relaxing times.
Casey? Casey was more of a "vibe guy." He wanted floor-to-ceiling glass walls, a rooftop infinity pool, and an open floor plan that would look amazing on Instagram. Foundation? He waved it off. "It's fine. The ground's hard enough, right? Besides, I'd rather put the money into a wood-fired pizza oven and a koi pond in the living room." He even joked, "The pool's right above the kitchen — dinner and a swim without going outside. Instant resale value."
When both houses were finished, they looked incredible. Jordan's was simple but solid. Casey's was a showstopper — people pulled over on the county road just to stare. The drone footage went viral for three days.
Then came the storm.
It began with the kind of heavy rain that makes you check the forecast twice. By afternoon, the wind picked up, howling past 70 mph. By evening, it was full hurricane-force: pounding rain sideways, lightning cracking so close it rattled windows, and thunder that rolled like a freight train.
By morning, the neighborhood looked like a scene from a disaster movie. A brick wall down the street was flattened, massive Ficus trees lay sprawled like fallen giants, and fences simply… disappeared.
Jordan's place took a beating — a few missing shingles, one broken window, and the rooftop patio furniture was in the next county. The Wi-Fi was out for half a day. But the foundation didn't move, the walls held, and the roof stayed put.
Casey's? The infinity pool overflowed into the living room. The koi escaped into the neighbor's flooded yard (last seen swimming toward a culvert). One glass wall bowed in and shattered, sending designer furniture into the mud. The pizza oven survived, but the house was condemned after the foundation cracked so badly that the floor sloped toward the kitchen.
A week later, when the roads were clear, Jordan stopped by Casey's rental cabin. They stood together, sipping burnt coffee from Styrofoam cups, staring at drone footage of the wreckage.
Casey shook his head. "Guess the koi didn't make it."
Jordan nodded slowly. "Foundations aren't sexy, but they keep you standing."
Something to note: beautiful design and flashy features won't save a house without a solid foundation — and flashy living won't hold up when life's storms hit. Build on something that lasts.
Whether it's your career, your relationships, your finances, or your faith, you can build on whatever looks easiest or most exciting in the moment — or you can take the time to build on something steady, proven, and true. Because when life sends hurricane-force winds, the moment you built on sand isn't the moment you'll wish you had a better view — it's the moment you'll wish you had a better foundation.
Now, Casey is paying rent and Jordan is back at his patio table with his laptop, enjoying the Wi-Fi on the roof. Strangely, a fair distance from the shattered glass house is a large piece of plate glass impaled in the lawn. Painted on it is a picture of a stairwell and an arrow pointing up. Below that image are the words, "to the infinity pool." The arrow now points toward a muddy hole filled with rainwater — technically still an infinity pool, if you squint hard enough.
Based on Matthew 7:24-27 (The Wise and Foolish Builders)
Synopsis:
A strong foundation isn't glamorous, but it's what holds you steady when storms come. In the same way, building life on solid truth — rather than on shifting trends — is what will last when everything else shakes.
Tap to read the actual bible passage:
parable of the the wise and foolish builders
Enjoying these stories? Please help us keep the lights on and more... Why Support Us