While putting laundry away the other day I noticed the back of one of my t-shirts that said, “live deeply rooted”, and I began to ponder that phrase. More specifically, I keyed in on the word deeply. We can and do live with roots but they aren’t always deep roots. Perhaps you don’t see the difference. I can think of many instances of watching the news after a severe storm has swept through an area and seeing images of large trees toppled over onto their sides. In every image the root system was quite large but was always spread out only in the surface layer of the soil. When a big enough storm came (as they always do) the massive trees had no anchor roots to hold them through the devastation. We can find ourselves in the same situation if we settle into our lives and put roots into the shallow things of life. If our roots are shallow, we will have to spread them into an ever wider circle to find the nourishment we need. The truth of the matter is that we will never tap into a worldly place, position, or person that can sustain us for very long. Eventually a storm will come and if we have spent all of our energies on the parts of ourselves that the world can see and admire, we will find the enemy’s wind can easily topple us.

If we want sustainability in this world we must spend much more time in downward (or inward) growth. Our roots must search and find the Living Water of Jesus if we hope to maneuver this life on earth. Only in Him will we find the nutrition and security we need. In other words, if you want to grow up, grow down. Don’t believe the lie of the world that tells you to be the biggest and best so that all eyes look past others to see you. You will never know a minute’s peace because you will constantly have your eyes on the competition that might be bigger and better than you. Instead, believe the freeing truth you find in our Lord and seek the deep roots of peace and contentment. Once those roots drink constantly from that Living Water you will be amazed at the beauty that comes up!

I took the above picture several years ago at a cemetery I love to visit in the Fall in Massachusetts. It has some of the oldest and most beautiful sugar maple trees I have ever seen. I believe that in the tree shown in this picture we can find a great truth to living a rich life here on earth. When we do the work to put our roots deeply into the One True Source of sustaining life we will grow in grace and beauty and wisdom. Once we have done that we get to do the greatest thing of all: stand in beauty and become a glorious backdrop to Jesus who stands in the forefront of our lives. I desperately want to be that deeply rooted backdrop, don’t you?