Constructed of white marble, it stands 185 feet high. It has eight stories.
The construction of the bell tower began in August of 1173. Work continued for two hundred years, with several interruptions.
But something wasn’t quite right. It started to lean 5.5 degrees. They attempted to fix the tower by making the higher, additional stories slightly taller on the shorter side, but the extra stone work caused the tower to sink even more.
The reason? The land it was built upon had too much moisture. It was too muddy. The foundation needed to be deeper and stronger. Much deeper and stronger.
Jesus told a great parable about the importance of building our lives upon a solid foundation. You can read it in Matthew 7: 24-27.
Think about this question: How solid is the foundation in your life? In the life of your children? Your grandchildren? Scripture teaches that we can find this solid foundation by trusting in Christ. We can build on it by going to church on a regular basis . . . reading God’s Word each day . . . praying regularly . . . serving others.
Where can we find a solid foundation? The hymn writer said it well, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
Seeing a beautiful “leaning tower” on the other side of the world reminded me of an important truth - - - firm foundations are crucial!