Rooted in Love

Have you ever stopped and really considered the roots of a tree? Some trees go deep into the earth, and some have very shallow roots. Some are very strong and tall. Some are very small and weak. The roots are what give the trees their strength longevity. The deeper more expansive the roots, the stronger the tree. Our faith is very much like the roots of trees. How deep do yours go? Are you making the effort to make sure those roots go deep and spread out, or are yours shallow and in danger of being toppled over because they cannot withstand the storms that come in and out of our lives?

I have the the blessing of being in a multigenerational family of Christians. My mom was the beginning of my roots in my faith and in God. She made sure we were raised in the church and had a home were we knew what unconditional love was. Her parents, my Mimi and Papa, fed that faith in many different ways, but the biggest way was by example. They were constantly the hands and feet of Jesus in their home, and in their community. My Papa, who turned 91 in December, is still here and continues to be a light in my world. My dad (well stepdad, but we don’t refer to him as that! He is my dad…that’s a story for another time) entered my life in my high school years. He taught me how to love without limitations and the importance of studying Gods word daily. I realize not everyone is raised like I was and that all family dynamics are different. Our family is not without faults and failures. We all have our own stories and our own storms. We also have our own faiths. But regardless of our stories, we have faith!

One of the biggest ways this past year I have shown my self some love was to carve out me time again. To get back to having my regular quiet time with God. I was so faithful in this for a long time in my younger days, college days, and young adult days. Then again once I lost Adam. I guess now that Matt and I are in the throes of raising 5 teenagers, I needed a time out! Time in God’s word. Time reading my devotionals. Time using my prayer journal and my personal journal. It was time for me to refocus. I had allowed too many distractions to overcome my days and too much of the outside world to come in and take up, or waste my time. I realized that I had gotten away from the one thing that builds me up. The one thing that grounds me. The one thing that I can always rely on no matter how tough the storms become, God! When the storms rage around me and try to uproot me. I want to know that my roots are deep and firmly planted! I want to know that my roots can survive any storm. I want to know that there is only one thing that can carry me through these hard times, God. Without a strong foundation we become weak. If we do not feed and water our roots, they will begin to rot, die and wither away. The trees growing out of those roots will no longer flower and bloom, but become brittle and weak. God can withstand any storm. Root your faith in Him and grow your faith in His word.

Your faith is your armor. God can protect you through anything. Use His word to battle whatever life is throwing at you. He doesn’t promise us it will be easy, but he does promise to walk in it with us. Feed your faith. Feed your knowledge of His word. Feed yourself. You are an integral part of His Kingdom. Your time with Him is necessary. Love yourself by being invested in your faith.

Ephesians 3:17-19 “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray, that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure and fullness of God.”