Saturday, December 3, 2011

Deeply Rooted

As I drove to work yesterday, I found myself go from a state of shock, to becoming choked up, to a full on “ugly” cry. All because I drove past our city’s park. It looked like Tree-mageddon! My brain has still not comprehended the amount of destruction caused by one night of the worst winds southern California has ever seen. The landscape of the city has changed.

However, at the same time, I felt a gentle nudging in my heart to look for trees that were still standing. So as I drove, I started to make an effort to look for those trees…the trees whose roots were still firmly planted. By doing this, the landscape of the city had indeed…changed.

I saw some trees with snapped branches and some trees whose leaves had been shredded off. But they were still standing. I saw trees that looked like they were not touched by the wind at all, and still stood in all their majesty. I also saw trees that actually kept their flowers…flourishing after the storm.

I slowly began to realize as a follower of Christ, as a daughter of the King, highly favored and loved beyond measure…that I am like the trees still standing. The storms will come. Sometimes my branches will snap off, my leaves stripped. But because of the One I place my hope in, the One who calms my storms, rebukes the winds and is the firm foundation in which my roots are planted…I am also the tree that stands untouched and flourishing.

The way I look at the park changed because I realized there would still be trees left once the devastation was cleared. On top of that, new trees would be planted. The winds of change will come, but I’m so thankful that we serve a God that will help us to stand firm as we battle the storms in our lives. He also brings us along others who do the same and clears out the devastation around us.

Where are you planted? If it’s not in a relationship with Jesus Christ I pray that you will invite Him into your heart today and start building the landscape of your life around the God who loves you and wants to see you flourish…that regardless of the windstorms of life, your roots run deep.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 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 of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)