As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding, in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7
When I was about four years old I remember planting flower seeds on the side of my house. An innate awareness to nurture a living thing was already growing inside of me, even as a young child. I remember checking on my plants several times a day, expecting growth to happen instantaneously, I was disappointed when they were not in bloom overnight. I remember when I saw small, green stems began to rise from the earth—I ran in to tell my family with a shrill of excitement in my voice. The plants I had been checking on and watering religiously have finally made an appearance.
A few weeks later when they were showing signs of blooming, our landlord mowed right over them while cutting the grass. As tears ran down my rosy cheeks, my mom held me in her arms while her best to comfort my broken heart. That year nothing grew in my tiny plot of dirt. It’s funny how that moment became a core memory in my life, especially since I was so young. One year later, I was gifted with a surprise; as I was playing in my yard I ran past my little garden patch from the year before, and to my surprise, there were a few flowers in bloom. I was thrilled.
Looking back, I guess the seeds I planted were perennials because they came back the next year. Even though the landlord carelessly mowed over my carefully tended garden, there was something more powerful underneath the surface—roots.
Harsh storms, astringent circumstances, and personal attacks will pose a threat to our growth. Some of you have been through some storms in your life. Someone may have mowed over your goals, accomplishments, and your tender heart, but there’s something that remained under the surface—resilience, hope, and deep roots.
You may look at the sum of your life’s achievements and failures and think about your purpose. There is hope today to flourish in the future. If we are going to survive the harshness of life and to be fruitful in the Lord, we need to be rooted deeply in His word and in prayer. Christ is our firm foundation; His truth will be our strength when our faith is shaken.
Ways to be rooted in the Lord:
- Be humble. Know that you have not made it through the storms of life by your own strength, it is the Lord that has kept you every step of the way. Give Him thanks for His provision and strength. (Ephesians 3:16-19; 1 Corinthians 15:58).
- Have a consistent prayer life. Be more concerned with the regularity of your prayer life than the length of time.
- Be steadfast. When life shakes your faith, grow your roots deeper by depending on the Lord instead of running from His presence.
- Read and memorize scripture. Keep the word of God alive in your heart and pray scriptures often.
- Respect the godly authority in your life. Your Pastor is given by God to shepherd your walk with God. Seek out godly mentors and friendships that will help you become more rooted in the Lord.
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