Have you ever heard the phrase, "Good enough for government work"? This psalm makes me think of that... I imagine a group of ancient builders putting together a building. They are thinking more about getting home and kicking back in front of their hearths and having dinner than they are about their job site. As they begin to set the foundation they start grabbing whatever stones are in front of them but an observant foreman notices that rather than putting the largest and most sturdy stones in the foundation, they are grabbing the lighter stones. He realizes that the larger stones are heavier and far harder to move than the others. He jumps down into the area where the construction is taking place making a scene as he grabs the smaller stones and starts tossing them out of the area. He then tells his workers they must take the time and make the effort to build the project correctly by using the larger stones for the foundation and points out the largest and strongest stone to be the cornerstone. He tells the workers that when their house is built properly it will actually become easier to build and the stones will only grow lighter as they build up. The workers follow his example and create a strong building that will last many years and be a source of great pride (the positive kind) due to the good work they've done.
Sometimes a relationship with a friend or relative and even our relationship with God can be just like this situation. Good relationships are strong because all the most important parts are set in place as a foundation before the fun really happens. I know that in my own marriage, I can honestly say that I both love and like my wife more now than when we were dating and yet I could have never understood that when I was younger. A relationship with Christ is no different. When we first accept Jesus as our savior and ask forgiveness, take communion, and fully accept Christ in confirmation, we are building a great foundation. Taking the steps to maintain that foundation in the early times of our life can be difficult. Life pulls us in so many directions that morality and good decisions become points of confusion and frustration. It's only after years of working at making good decisions that we start to become more inclined to make the good decision than the bad..... not that we don't mess up... it's just that we create the habit of praising God and trying to live in his will. At some point it becomes the norm. Of course there are still temptations but I believe that by having a strong foundation, we learn to put ourselves in fewer positions where temptation can win. Good decisions beget good decisions.