When you look at a huge oak tree with it's leaves waving in the wind, what do you think of?
If you're like me you probably are not thinking about what it takes for that oak to have branches strong enough to support the bending and swaying that it must withstand on a daily basis. And some days bring not only wind but rain and storms as well.
“For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by the stream and will not fear when the heat comes, but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.”
It was a warm summer day in 2010 that I sat in my home office with windows overlooking beautiful Lee Creek from the bluff high above and questioned why I felt something missing in my life - a lack of fulfillment. My husband and I had recently found out we were pregnant with our second girl and, from the world's perspective, had a perfect life - the American dream.
Over the next few years God's overwhelming love would answer my question. Through a journey of heartache, disappointment, and loss I would come to realize that my roots didn't extend down very deep. They didn't extend down deep into the rich soil of Christ because as the years of my church-going childhood had come to pass I had wrapped my roots around the things the world had thrown at me - a nice house, security in the form of money, self-worth in the form of busyness, and a very shallow relationship with my Creator. But while walking the dark road of losing a child, God, through his reckless love, was going to show me the things I needed to release my roots from so that I could extend them deeper into an eternal relationship with Him.
The survival of the oak tree depends on if it's roots extend down into good soil. Our survival depends on if our roots extend down and embrace the ultimate sacrifice that Christ made for us on a tree at Golgotha. The oak has the freedom to wave it's branches in the wind on a warm spring day and the power to bend instead of snap in a dark storm. Christ died for us so that we could be free to experience the joy and peace that comes with the knowledge that we will be with Him throughout eternity.
Hot Cross Buns for breakfast this Good Friday morning to celebrate the sacrifice made for us.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”
My heart is for you to know the love of Christ and to experience the joy and freedom that comes from being rooted deeply in Him! Come join me at Heritage Church in Van Buren, Arkansas on April 27-28 for the Rooted Women's Conference - I am so excited to share more of my heart with you about finding freedom in Christ! You can get more information about the conference here. See you there!