Your Roots Are Showing
“But blessed is the (woman) who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.
(She) will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
I hadn’t visited my hairdresser in months. I need to go regularly for my hair coloring, but I had to confess that I had been cheating on Nina. I was using a product called Root Touchup which got me through these months, but that only takes care of a small portion of my head. My roots needed real attention, and thankfully on Thursday they got it.
The Bible has something to say about our roots from a spiritual perspective. Jeremiah tells us that the woman who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him, is blessed. And it’s not just feeling blessed, it’s a blessing with tangible benefits.
(She) will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
The roots of a tree planted by the water naturally grow in the direction of the water. They stretch out to be fed by the stream. They search for that life-giving source. They don’t wait for a gardener to show up with a watering can. Likewise, we need to seek the life-giving flow of Living Water, the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to fully nourish us, not just depending upon the appetizer of a Sunday sermon to feed us.
It does not fear when heat comes;
The droughts in Colorado cause the timber to be bone dry allowing a lightening spark to ignite a devastating fire. But wetlands have no fear of the fire. If we have partaken of ample Living Water, we need have no fear of the heat when it comes – and note, Jeremiah says “when” heat comes, not “if” it comes. We can be sure that heat will come, but if our roots are well watered, we will be like that tree standing firm.
its leaves are always green.
Years ago, my friend and I sat in a car under tree near a streetlight for hours sharing our hearts. It was autumn, and we noticed that most of the leaves had fallen off the tree, except for one area of the tree near the light. The light kept the leaves on that part of the tree green and alive reminding us of our need to stay near our source of life-giving Light.
It has no worries in a year of drought.
Why wouldn’t the tree have worries in a drought? Because it has stored up enough water to sustain it during dry periods. There is no doubt that we will have dry periods, too. But that is not a cause for worry. The Bible calls itself our spiritual food (milk and meat). I’ve heard it said that sometimes reading the Bible is like dessert, so delicious we savor every morsel. Sometimes, it’s like cereal, a bit dry, but we eat to sustain us and provide building blocks for growth. And still other times, it’s like medicine. It may not satisfy our tastebuds, but it provides healing. Drought or not, we need not worry (Matt. 6:33, Phil. 4:6).
and never fails to bear fruit.
The by-product of abiding in the Vine is bearing fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is not like a gift of the Spirit which is given at the discretion of the Giver. Fruit is the consequence of obeying and remaining with Jesus, the Vine. An apple tree can’t produce more fruit by force or wishful thinking. No huffing & puffing on the part of the tree will result in more fruit. Fruit is produced on a branch that is firmly attached, is fed, watered and in the light . . . over a period of time.
One last thing about roots – the Bible tells us that we if we miss the grace of God, a bitter root can grow and cause trouble (Heb. 12:15) and that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10). These are roots to be avoided because they will poison the tree.
The roots are what sustain the tree. No more root touchups here! Let’s make sure our roots are firmly planted, stretching toward living water, free from fear and worry, and bearing good fruit.
www.susanpanzica.com
www.eternitycafe.blogspot.com
Very well put Susan. Be encouraged and have a blessed, safe and fun trip!
Sandi
Love this play on words! I’m on a personal spiritual “adventure” based on ROOT study. Hadn’t thought about my hair roots! That’s great! =}
Thank you Susan for the reminder to stay planted by our Living Water. You are right; when heat comes, He is the only One who can sustain us.
Wisely said.
I liked the examples you gave here to apply this scripture to our lives. Thanks!
God bless you!
Bethany
This is so timely that you would say this. It’s qiute confirming, I must add. I have discovered a rare mental condition that I struggled with ever since I was a little girl. It was not until this past week that I finally mustered up the courage to do some research on it to see if anyone else struggled with it. Mind you, I did not even know that this was a condition, let alone if anyone else struggled with it. I got the notion that someone had to be “out there, somewhere”, but I was so scared of feeling even more peculiar because of this.
Many of the people who struggle with this have been so desperate to the point of even suicide. I also get the sense that many of them have been judged and misdiagnosed even by the Christian community, being deemed as demonic or possessed. So when I see videos about it, read forums and articles, I have to comment with a word that the God has already given me about it. After several months of fasting on a weekly basis, I finally had a revelation. Among my many passions, this is what God wants me to do. I am absolutely certain. I say this because all of us in this community have been utterly handicapped and limited; and we want truly emotional, mental and spiritual freedom from this. I know nothing else to say except this:
It is for FREEDOM…that Christ set us free.