What is Underneath?

Let's talk about ROCKS. Yes, rocks!

What comes to mind?

The Bible uses the rock image again and again. In fact rocks are referred to over one hundred times in the Bible, most often referring to God as the rock- the one firm foundation.

And of course, here at HKIS, we have our own understanding of a ROCK.

Our special HKIS rock stands in the middle of the island and gets painted over and over again. At first glance, it’s just color and images, its fun!—but if you think about it, that rock tells a much deeper story. Beneath the surface are layers—years of memories, celebrations, challenges, and growth.

That rock is a picture of you, as an individual and as a community.

You each carry layers.
Moments that shaped you.
People who influenced you.
Experiences that stretched you.

Some of those layers brought joy. Others were harder. But all of them have formed who you are. And just like that rock, your life will continue to be painted—new places, new questions, new opportunities.

But here is the question I want you to hold on to:

When everything on the surface changes, when the paint fades away, what remains underneath?

Romans 12, our Bible verse for this year, reminds us that each of you has been given gifts—different strengths, different callings, all meant to serve others. Some of you lead. Some of you encourage. Some of you serve quietly. All of your gifts matter and how you use your gifts matter, but…

Hear this clearly:

Your identity, what lies below the surface, is not in your gifts!

Not your achievements.
Not your next steps
Not your success or failure

Your identity is in your foundation! What is YOUR foundation?

Your achievements and success and giftings will shift. But God does not shift. When your identity is in Christ you are not shaken. You stand firm. And I say this not just as something I’ve read—but as something I’ve lived.

There have been so many shifting moments in my own life:
The sudden death of my dad at the end of my first year of university. Moving to Kuwait just after the Gulf War, unsure of safety. Outrunning the tsunami in Thailand with my 8-month-old baby on my back. On that same day, my husband went missing for over 12 hours. Living through the Japan earthquake in 2011, feeling like the ground itself could not be trusted. And even now—facing a quieter but very real unknown: an empty house as both my children attend university.

In each of those moments, I did not feel strong. I did not feel steady. And in the present tense, I do not feel strong. I do not feel steady. But God is strong. God is steady! He is my rock when everything is shifting.

You will have moments like this too. Moments where plans change. Where things don’t go the way you expected. Where you question your footing. And when that happens?

Very soon, no one will be structuring your days for you.
No one will be reminding you what matters.
You will be the one deciding what you build your life on.

And there will be voices—so many voices—telling you to build on achievement, on success, on independence, on image.

But those are not rocks. They are shifting ground. And they will not hold when life becomes uncertain.

So when you find yourself in those moments—and you will— when things don’t go according to plan, when you feel unsteady, when you are not sure who you are or where you belong—that is when this matters most.

Not the paint. Not the layer you are currently in.

But what is underneath it all- the ROCK! The FOUNDATION!
So hold that rock in your hand and remember, this is not just a metaphor.

Christ is your rock.
Build your life there.
Stand there—even when it’s hard.

Because the goal is not just to become successful graduates—
It is to become people who are grounded,
who are rooted in something eternal,
and who live with a quiet, steady faith that does not disappear when life gets difficult.

That kind of life doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens by choosing, again and again,
to stand on the rock.