Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
They are like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Spring has begun in New Jersey. It really isn’t all that warm yet, and the trees haven’t grown back all their foliage, but (as I write this) the sun is shining and the hint of things to come is in the air. This is the time that we celebrate regrowth and renewal. This is the time we plant the things we want to see grow. And this is the time that we can shake off the seasonally affected funk of winter to see a new way forward.
In the wintery seasons of life, it is easy to lose hope and perspective, and that is why it is so important to root yourself in the Lord. When a tree has strong roots it can weather the storms, it can face the heat, and it can still bear good fruit. However, the roots stay hidden beneath the surface. For us, this is our internal journey of faith.
It is fairly easy to say the right churchy thing in a decently convincing way and convince everyone around you that you’ve got it all figured out. Unfortunately, putting on that façade only limits your own ability to put down deeper roots. You don’t need to be in complete control of everything all the time.
We have a God that wants to take care of us. When we don’t feel like we can face an oncoming storm of disappointment / loss / stress or any number of the problems we face in life, we can rely in the roots we have placed in the Lord. Our roots can run deep and bring us the nourishment we need.
Plant yourself somewhere you can grow strong.