The Work is Worth It!

Boulders abound in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, many left behind as a giant glacier moved north thousands of years ago.

I captured a few pics last month on a stroll through the woods with Hubby. What astounded me wasn’t the boulders themselves, but the trees! Check these out:

The first boulder has tree roots stretching around it in order to reach the ground beneath. What a process that would have been to document!

What caused the roots to reach around like that?? They would have grown for quite a while before actually getting any reward in the form of nutrients and water from the soil.

Now look more closely at the base of this little tree.

This one appears to have grown a bit before the ground beneath gave way and it followed, falling down toward the ground. But it didn’t stop there. Instead, it turned and began growing sharply up toward the sun. At the same time, it started reaching out with a new root to the soil nearby. How long did it take that root to span the space? Or was it already there when the soil beneath collapsed?

For both trees, the roots never gave up.

Those roots are necessary for the trees’ survival not only for gathering water and nutrients, but also for anchoring the trees in place when the storm winds blow.

You and I need our own set of roots that don’t give up!

Are You Rooted?

Our spiritual health is largely determined by spiritual roots that gather Living Water and spiritual food, and provide stability through the storms of life. Since our spiritual health can in turn impact our mental, emotional, and physical health, I’d say putting the work into sending those roots deep is quite important!

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:7 NLT

How are we to work on our spiritual roots?

1. Spend time with Jesus, our Living Water. Talk to him, listen to him, and just be still, paying attention to anything he shows you. Let him guide you into the peace he has for you. You may want to write down any impressions you have during your time with him.
2. Spend time reading or listening to scripture (yes, there’s an app for that!). Think about what it means, and how you can apply any lessons to your life right now. Ask God to open your heart to what he wants you to see each day in his Word.
3. Are you in a storm right now, wondering how you’ll make it through? It’s a perfect time to look back at how God has brought you through storms in your past. If you’re still standing, he’s not finished working on you yet!

How long will this take?

You’ll need to keep sending those roots deeper and deeper until your last day on this earth. Putting the work into those roots will bring rewards, whether or not you see them today, tomorrow, next week, or even next month. It may seem like a lot of effort for little reward to begin with, but the tables turn one day, and you begin to notice a difference. Just think of that first tree’s roots that grew down from the top of the boulder–that was no overnight process!

Do we have to work alone?

Praise God, no! We work alongside the Holy Spirit as he teaches us and guides us into all truth (John 14:17). God works in our hearts and lives from the first day we say yes to him!

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Ephesians 3:16-19, emphasis added).

Now it’s your turn!

Look back over your spiritual journey. Can you see how you’ve grown over time? Just think–there’s more strength coming! Stay rooted, friend!

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