Rising Above a Sinking Culture

Growing Daily

Rising Above a Sinking Culture

Writing about Mexico City’s sinking landscape last week led me to some fascinating articles about the effects on its historic architecture.

The Palacio de Bellas Artes, one of the most iconic buildings in the city, has sunk roughly thirteen feet relative to the surrounding ground.  Its original street-level entrance is now accessible only by descending a flight of stairs.

Meanwhile, the 100-year-old Ángel de la Independencia monument remains stable as the land around it subsides.  It almost appears to be rising up out of the ground.  Fourteen steps have been added so visitors can climb from the sinking street to its base.

So what’s the difference between the two structures?

Their foundations.

The Palacio is built on a concrete “raft” meant to “float” on the soft soil.  But the building continues to sink under its own weight.  The Ángel monument, on the other hand, is supported by concrete and steel piles driven deep below the soft surface. They reach a dense, solid stratum known as the “capa dura,” which literally means “hard layer.”  

The spiritual parallels are hard to miss.  It's so easy to sink when everything around us is sinking.  But we're called to build our lives on the firm foundation laid by Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11–13).  A believer anchored deep in God’s Word won’t shift with the unstable ground (Matthew 7:24–27).  And when we stand firm in a sinking culture, we naturally stand out — like a city on a hill, shining the light of Christ into the darkness (Matthew 5:14–16).


- Catherine Reid