Build upon My Rock

By Laurel Rohlfing

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent (John 17:3).

Have you ever gone to the seashore and built a house out of sand? It’s fun to mold and shape, but sooner or later, the waves creep closer and wash it away.

If you were going to build a real house, you would want to build it on a firm foundation of rock or concrete so that when the wind, rain, or floods came, the house would be secure and you would be safe.

Many times in the scriptures, gaining a testimony is compared with building a house upon a rock. A testimony’s foundation is the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Doctrine and Covenants 11:24, the Lord says: “Build upon my rock, which is my gospel.” To build your testimony upon the rock of the gospel, you must believe in Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Ghost. You should also pray always, attend church, take the sacrament, and keep the commandments. (See 3 Ne. 11:38–40; 3 Ne. 18:1–15.) Then you will be strong and choose the right.

We all have experiences that test us. These are like the rains, floods, and storms that can beat upon a house. If you have not built your testimony upon the rock of the gospel, when problems or temptations come, you might decide to quit trying to resist temptation, and, like a house built upon the sand, your testimony might fall.

In 3 Nephi 14:24–27 we read: “Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock—

“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand—

“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Instructions

Cut out the strips and glue them to gether along the ends, as indicated. Glue the picture strips and television screen on heavy paper. Cut out the screen and carefully cut slits along the dotted lines. Pass the strips through the slits of the screen. As you pull the pictures through the screen, sing or say the words of “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man.” (See Activity Songs and Verses, page 36.)

Illustrated by Julie Fuhriman Young

The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
And the house on the rock stood still.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
And the house on the sand washed away.

Sharing Time Ideas

Have children tell experiences about how their testimonies have helped them choose the right. They could record them in a journal or draw a picture about them. Some events could be acted out.
Demonstrate how a house on a rock remains standing. Make two simple houses out of lightweight cardboard. In a large pan, put one house on a pile of sand and securely tape the other house to a rock. Pour a “floor” of water into the pan and show that the water will wash away the sand, but that the house on the rock will be safe.
Label rocks or building blocks with ways to build your testimony. Discuss why each is important.