Deep Rooted

How deep are your roots?

About two and half months ago my mother in law panted several flowers in two separate planting pots on the patio in my backyard. The flowers in both pots were growing beautifully and the blooms were bright and appeared to be very healthy (big ups to miracle grow). The flowers continued to grow taller and taller and they also multiplied as expected. About two weeks ago, I noticed that some of the flowers in one of the pots were beginning to wither. My first thought was that they were not getting enough water, so I began to increase the amount of the water and I repositioned the pot to make sure that the failing plants were receiving the appropriate amount of sunlight. To no avail… the flowers in that pot continued to wither.

After taking a closer look, I was able to determine the real issue...the problem was with the roots. The roots of the flowers that were withering were too shallow in the soil, so the weight of the flowers caused the flowers to lean forward and the weight was in fact pulling the roots from the soil as the flowers leaned forward. No amount of water or sunlight would be able to sustain those flowers. In order for them to grow and to survive, they needed deeper roots. Both sets of plants, while planted at the same time, while being positioned to receive the same nourishment (sun and water) and while appearing to grow at the same rate, were actually headed toward two different destinies. One was destined to grow and produce while the other was headed toward a premature death.

Witnessing this natural phenomenon caused me to reflect on its spiritual implications.

How deep are my spiritual roots?
Do I just appear to be growing superficially, but deep down my roots are not strong enough to allow me to withstand the Storms of life?
Are my roots deep/strong enough to allow me to bear the weight of God’s blessings or will their presence cause me to fall?

God is not going to allow me to face or have more than I can bear (meaning handle successfully as I depend on Him for strength and guidance). I believe that this truth relates to what I consider to be blessings and what I consider to be challenges. We can’t handle too much of either if we aren’t firmly grounded.

Many trees have systems of roots that span two to three times the diameter of their above ground “crown”. This means that if a tree spans 10 feet wide, it will probably have an underground system of roots that is 20 to 30 feet wide. Much of the trees ability to nourish and sustain itself is based on its intricate system of roots.

As Christians, we are to have a root system that allows us to be nourished and sustained by our relationship with the Father, by our dependence on His Word and through our relationships with other believers (fellow believers are simply known as other trees in the forest). Life will expose the strength of your root system when the storms come. It is easy to “look” the part when the “breezes” of life are passing through your leaves, but when the winds blow, will you be uprooted or will you stand.

God is glorified when His trees stand tall and grow (underground growth that is). He isn’t concerned as much about how you appear to be growing above ground, this is where a lot of us get caught up we want to look the part but not “change our hearts” (superficial VS Spiritual). Our focus needs to shift to what really matters. The storms are coming (many of us are going through them right now). Are you prepared?

How strong are your roots?