Our Roots

We had some pretty severe weather here yesterday.  Lightening, wind, thunder, rain - even a possible tornado, which is VERY unlikely for our area.  This morning, as we were driving home from church, we noticed a beautiful huge oak tree that was totally uprooted from the ground - similar to this one.  It seemed unbelievable to me that a tree of that size could actually uproot from the ground that its been living in for decades.  Thankfully, the tree cleared any building or car so no damage was done.

Just as unbelievable to me was right near that tree, there were many other trees that were still in the ground, standing tall.  These trees were much smaller in stature, just as lovely.  It's amazing what weather can do to our surroundings like trees, rivers, etc.  It literally can take something that was growing for years and years and destroy it in a moment.

I couldn't help but parallel what I saw with our journey with Christ.  Just like the tree, we grow in our faith, nurturing it with all that God gave us - great pastors, teachers, church families, and most of all, His Word.  The Word of God becomes our roots, what we base our faith on.  We read it, we digest it, we live it out in all that we do.  For many of us Christians, the Word of God is our soil tht we can firmly plant our roots in so that we can live lives full of God's wonder, mercy and grace.

Yet, there are times, when a devasting turn in the "weather"  comes our way.  Maybe we lose a loved one; maybe a relationship breaks; maybe financial concerns are great; maybe there are health issues.  The weather of our lives can certainly reek havoc on our roots of faith.  As we journey through our life here on earth, we are faced with many situations, that can shake our roots.  It is easy for us to lose our way from our roots.  We can easily "blame God" for the nasty weather in our lives.  We can blame others - we can even blame ourselves.  All of this doesn't provide the umbrella necessary to weather the storm.

Rememer, that unlike the tree, we can keep our roots deeply planted.  During turbulent weather, we can have our roots take hold in the fertile soil of God's word and our faith-filled resources.  We can be the other trees near the uprooted tree - holding tight onto our church family, our Bible teachers, or our pastors.  What we can easily hold on to the most is God's word.  

When the storms of life pass our way, that is the time to open our Bibles.  If those roots start to shake, it's time to "stake" ourselves with the greatest blessing God gave us, His Son Jesus.  He is with us always, to hold us up strong during turbulent weather so that we are not uprooted, but dug in deep.  

The next time you pass a great tree standing tall, reflect on yourself and know that God wants you to plant yourself deeply into His Word, so that you may stand tall.  By the way, the storm has passed and it is a beautiful day in New Hampshire today - there is a light breeze, cooler temperatures, and the SON is shining upon us.  Those that are deeply planted have come out of the storm to sunshine. Blessings to all in the week ahead.

"...just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."  (NIV)  Colossians 2:6-7