falling apart
Jul 15, 2026
This past week was one of those weeks.
You know the kind.
Nothing catastrophic happened. No one was hurt. No lives were lost. But it seemed like everything that shouldn't fall... fell. Everything that shouldn't rip... ripped. Everything that should have stayed standing... came crashing down.
Over the course of about ten days, an 80-mile-per-hour wind toppled a 100+ year-old oak tree into the corner of our house. It ripped off gutters, damaged the roof, knocked the gas meter off the side of the house, and left us without electricity, gas, and internet. Before everything was even restored, another large branch came down and knocked the power out again.
Then came one of the strangest moments I've ever experienced.
I was walking through the grocery store to grab a few things. I wasn't pushing a cart. I didn't bump into anything. I simply walked past a display of soda cans.
Boom.
The entire display collapsed into the aisle.
Cans rolled everywhere.
I just stood there looking around thinking, "Did anyone else just see that?" I actually laughed. By now I was beginning to wonder if I should avoid standing near anything that was upright!
A few days later, while putting on my wetsuit before a race, the seam split wide open.
The tree.
The power lines.
The soda cans.
The wetsuit.
It felt like everything was unraveling.
Now, I write this with perspective. There are people around the world suffering tragedies far greater than mine. My family is safe. No one was injured. Thank God for that. This isn't a story about hardship nearly as much as it is about what God showed me through an unusual week.
When they removed the giant oak tree, I finally saw something I had never been able to see before.
From above, it looked magnificent.
Strong.
Towering.
Healthy.
But underneath...
The root system was dry, brittle, and far weaker than anyone realized.
The soda display told the same story. The cardboard base had apparently gotten wet. It looked perfectly fine—until suddenly it wasn't. The collapse didn't begin when it hit the floor. It began long before anyone noticed.
Isn't that exactly what Jesus taught?
He spoke of two men who built houses. One built on rock. The other built on sand. Both houses stood... until the storm came. The storm didn't create the weakness. It simply revealed the foundation.
That's true in our lives as well.
Marriages rarely fall apart overnight.
Businesses don't usually collapse in a day.
Faith doesn't disappear all at once.
More often than not, the roots have been weakening for a long time before anyone notices.
By the time the tree starts falling, it's too late to strengthen the roots.
By the time the soda cans start tumbling, it's too late to reinforce the base.
By the time the oil is gone from the lamp, it's too late to go buy more.
Preparation always happens before the storm.
The good news is that Jesus doesn't leave us standing alone. He is our Advocate. He intercedes for us before the Father. He doesn't simply point out our weak places—He restores them. He strengthens what has become brittle. He rebuilds what has been damaged. He helps us develop roots that run deep enough to withstand the winds that eventually come for all of us.
So let me ask you...
Do you have any fallen trees in the yard of your life?
A relationship?
Your marriage?
Your faith?
Your health?
Your priorities?
Or maybe nothing has crashed yet—but deep down, you know the roots need attention.
Don't wait for the next storm.
Sometimes the greatest investment you'll ever make is inviting someone from the outside to help you see what you can't.
If that's where you are, I'd love to help. Sometimes one honest conversation can begin clearing away the debris, strengthening the foundation, and preparing you not just to survive the next storm—but to stand through it.
Because storms are inevitable. But collapse doesn't have to be.
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