Rooted

Jess Rodriguez, pastor Xavier‘s wife reflects on what it means to be rooted.

After much research, planning and preparations, we planted a tree. This was a whole family affair from our excited kids running through rows of trees at a nursery,  all the way to the many different sized shovels digging the hole in our front yard. If love was all that this tree needed to grow, ours would be fully grown by now. 

But, as is expected in the late springs in Nebraska, storms came. One after another. 

And there has stood our little tree with all of the intentional care, planning, and researching that has been poured into it. Now our tree has begun to live an unsheltered life outside. 

While the hail was pummeling our yard during the latest storm, my daughter called out; “Mom! Our tree! What do we do to protect it!?” After a longer pause came the words that I was working to believe myself, “It’s going to have to survive these storms on its own. Those big trees don’t get that strong and tall without making it through many storms”. 

And so, this is true for the believer. We can not grow deep roots in our faith by living sheltered lives. 

Trusting the Lord

The Bible refers to this process in Jeremiah, where it states;  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord. He will be like a tree planted by the waters, sending out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Doesn’t that sound wonderful! Always green, flourishing, no worries, no fear of drought and always bearing fruit! When we are in faith in our relationship with the Lord we can trust that the same will describe us. 

When we root ourselves in the Lord, we are choosing to trust in Him so that even though the high winds of life shake us, our faith is set in Him. During the hail and hard rains that beat against us, we are choosing to cling to the Truth of His Word. And when the inevitable extreme heat and cold surround us, our roots that are deep in the Lord, will trust in the Lord to maintain us. 

May we, as believers and saints who trust in Christ Jesus, send our roots deeply down with faith in the Lord God. Trusting that when the storms come, as we know they will, that our God will care for us and that He will sustain us with His strength. 

Additional Information

If you have any questions about trusting Jesus, please connect with Candlewood Church at info@candlewoodchurch.org.