Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands, but most people were reluctant to work on farms so close to the ocean. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. “Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him. The man answered, ‘Well, I can sleep when the wind blows.’

Although puzzled by his answer, the farmer was desperate for help and hired him on the spot. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk. The farmer was well satisfied with his work.

Then, one night, the wind howled loudly in from offshore, and the rain began to pour. The farmer jumped out of bed, grabbed a lantern, and rushed to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the man and yelled, ‘Get up! There’s a storm coming! We must tie things down before they blow away!’ The little man opened his eyes and said, ‘’No, sir. I told you before you hired me. I can sleep when the wind blows.’ And promptly fell back to sleep.

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that the haystacks had all been covered with tarps. The cows and horses were secure in the barn. The chickens were safe in their coops. The doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was fine. Nothing could blow away or be damaged!

The farmer then realized what the hired hand had meant. He returned to his bed and slept soundly while the wind blew.

Jesus tells us that the storms of life will come our way. It is not a matter of if, but when. However, He also tells us we can be prepared before they hit. In Mathew 7:24-27, Christ compares our lives to building a house. He tells us that every person is building their house on a foundation of sand or solid rock.

The person whose foundation is built upon rock will withstand the storms of life. The house built on sand will crash. In these verses in Mathew, Jesus reveals that our foundation is determined by taking in God’s word, and applying it to our lives. A person who fails to do this will be unprepared by the storms of life.  If you have built your life on the rock, you have nothing to fear. You will be able to sleep when the wind blows.

Richard E Simmons III is the founder and Executive Director of The Center for Executive Leadership and a best-selling author.