There is a story in the seventh chapter of one of my favorite books, the book of Matthew, which describes a man who had built his house upon a rock. When the rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew, that house held firm. Its foundation was upon the rock.

In my hometown we recently experienced over 12 inches of rain in a very short period of time from a single storm system. As you can imagine, the constant pounding of the flood water has caused structures to collapse, sink holes to develop, wide scale evacuation, and even the loss of lives.

Prior to this storm, the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN boasted of an indoor river flowing through one part of the hotel. Today, the Cumberland River basically flows through the hotel in depths up to ten feet.

Does this mean that Nashville wasn’t built upon “the rock?” Does it represent poor planning? No. It simply means that the unexpected happened.

When the unexpected happens, the foundation is tested. We all have heavy rains in our lives, and fierce winds that shake us to the core. In this life, we will have trouble. It’s how we weather the storm that matters.

How we react after the storm determines how prepared we will be for the next storm that will certainly come our way.

When a storm as big as this one hits, there are significant losses of property and life. The pain of losing is real. However, there is no doubt in my mind that in terms of property, Nashville (as well as the other flooded areas in Middle and West Tennessee) will rebound! Structures will be rebuilt, and a massive cleaning project will soon be underway.

How am I so sure? I am sure because the foundation of these people is strong. The storm came and went, but the heart of the people remains.

Throughout history, people have responded to disaster with indomitable resolve, and the results are a testament to our spirit as people. Consider the following:

– Dave Ramsey overcame financial disaster to become America’s voice for personal finance.
– Truett Cathy overcame several adversities to build America’s Best Quick Service restaurant business.
– Lincoln overcame unbelievable odds to become one of our most loved Presidents.

Current circumstances didn’t drive these people into the ground or make them lose hope. It was something I call “Resident Internal Convictions of the Heart” that made the difference.

It was the realization of the fact that, as my friend Todd Duncan calls it: “Setbacks are Set-ups for Comebacks.” See Todd’s new book, Life on the Wire here.

Have you been “set back” recently? Do you need to stand upon the rock, look adversity in the face, and hold firm? You can. It’s your call.