In May, my husband and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. He is a wonderful man, but definitely earned some brownie points when he showed up with beautiful red roses for me!
I proudly displayed them on my kitchen table, sniffing and admiring them each time I passed by. But despite how much I loved them, they eventually began to fade. The bright green leaves darkened, and the flowers gradually turned from a bright scarlet red to a burgundy shade of black.
My twelve year old son walked into the kitchen one morning and caught me gazing at my flowers in their sad little state. I expressed to him how disappointed I was to see they were beginning to die. With his usual quick and funny wit, he exclaimed, "Well, if you were jerked up from your roots and disconnected from your life source, you'd probably wither away too!"
We both laughed and it helped me accept the reality that it was time to rid of the roses. As I gathered up the crunchy remnants and placed them in the trash, I thought about what my son had said, and felt God gently whisper to my spirit.
If I was jerked up from the source that gives me life, I would wither too.
If I was suddenly disconnected from the roots I have in Christ, my heart and soul would die.
If my life wasn't founded in my faith, I am confident I would feel void of any life at all.
I can't even imagine living without Christ in my life, yet, I know there are days when I unplug and try to walk through daily routines, busy and distracted, disconnected from my roots. It is usually on those days, when I feel most distracted, distressed, unfocused, or anxious. I fail to be thankful for the good things in my day, because I focus on the things that aren't so good. And feel withered.
As I pondered these thoughts, I wanted to see what God's Word had to say, and I came across Colossians 2:7, which says "Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."
Then out of curiosity, I looked up the same verse in The Message Bible, and loved it's translation:
"My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving"
What a sweet reminder I received from God that day, through the lips of my little boy, that even when I feel "withered", Christ is life giving. I am grounded in Him, and He is my Sustainer.
If our lives are founded upon faith, then instead of trying to do life on our own, we simply need to do what we've been taught! Stay grounded - stay connected - and start living in Him!
We have to make a choice to stay rooted in our faith, especially when life is making us feel withered. If you ask me, living a life spilling over with thanksgiving is certainly motivation to stay connected to our Life Source in every way possible.
Has God used a simple statement or an every day occurrence to remind you about the importance of staying connected to your roots of faith?
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