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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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Roots
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Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit. Months of unusually heavy rainfall had drenched Southern California, creating mud slides, sliding homes off their foundations, and swelling creeks into rivers. We were thankful to be among those who were just weary with dull, gray days and traffic delays. As the rains seemed to be slowing their relentlessness, I was driving out of our tract one evening, and suddenly realized our neighbor’s yard had been strangely landscaped. The towering pine tree that was as wide and full as it was tall and had dominated the front yard was literally laying on its side, sprawled across another neighbor’s driveway – and a couple of cars. The tree had always been vibrantly green, and with its majestic height, gave no indication of the shallow roots that were losing their hold on the water-soaked earth. Believers, as well as trees, need roots that both give support and allow for life-giving nourishment. Jeremiah wrote the words above that allude to the soil of God’s hope and confidence. Psalm 1 pictures the soil of obedience. Paul speaks about being rooted and grounded in the vastness of a love that surpasses our understanding – a love that manifests the God who gives it. In Colossians though, Paul says, "Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught." Here, the soil is Christ Himself. What are these verses saying to us? We need to be rooted and grounded, but what is the soil that will give growth to our roots so they will support and nourish us, especially when life gets stormy or just relentless? All of these biblical references take us to God – to a growing knowledge of Him, a deepening understanding of truth, a willing response to His ways, and a trust that can confidently hope. Roots that penetrate a nutrient-rich soil are able to grow, and the drenching rains of life are met with stability. One other lesson I learned from my neighbor’s tree. It looked really good, until its roots were exposed. Believer, we too can present an outward picture that looks "good." But if our roots fail to thrive because they have not soaked up what God so freely offers, we too can be storm-damaged. |
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— Bev |
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