HAH gotcha! that title has only a little relevance to this blog but I PROMISE I will tie it in, just read it 😉
What does it mean to be rooted in something??
– “Firmly implanted” “to establish deeply” (dictionary.com)
– you started as a seed and have AT LEAST shown sprouts if not full fruition (you have spent a period of time being rooted in something or someone)
My teammate Eva and I were chatting and she brought up the idea that we should be movable but unshakable. Thus arising the question: What does it mean to be unshakable but movable??
– Unshakable: your roots are so deep and so strong that when push comes to shove you’re not the one falling down
– Movable: your sprouts/fruit and roots can be moved from one pot/season/location to another and still be capable of growing in each pot/season/location
This is a painting by my teammate, Eva, from some time ago. Quite the artist!
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask anything and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” (John 15:5-8)
Plants grow (OBVI). They start as a seed and eventually grow into something bigger, literally. One of my sweet friends, Deborah, gave me some daisy seeds and a teeny tiny pot! The lil pot is the perfect size for the seeds right now, but eventually they will outgrow it and it will be too small. I will soon have to move my lil daisy sprouts to a bigger pot! (Side note, the daisies just sprouted the other day and it brought so much joy!! Thank you Jesus for daisies and growth!! I mean look how CUTE they are!)
That’s just like us! We start out as little seeds! And each pot is a new and different, changing season! We start as seeds and we sprout and grow! And eventually the pot we were in is too small and is no longer capable of supporting our purpose and growth! So we move to a new pot or a new season!! Then we get to grow a little bit more! And then when we outgrow that season we move to a new one! And then a new one and a new one!! Sometimes the season is a different location or a different color or a different size. But one thing they all have in common is that they support growth!
“I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” (Ephesians 3:16-17)
Often we have to start small in new seasons. Growth can be EXHAUSTING. Sometimes we feel like we aren’t fulfilling the current season, I know I have felt this! Or maybe like we’re a little fish in a big SEAson 😉 But the thing is, if we were already fully grown as we enter the next season, there would be no room to grow!! The Lord creates vast amounts of space in each season so that there is room for us to grow. If He created each season to fit us perfectly as we entered it, we wouldn’t need Him! Because in order to grow we have to lean on the Lord! Each season is created with a new purpose of growth. Thus the changing of season! In my experience coming home from the Race, I have felt myself feeling so small in this vast season ahead of me! A season that is bigger than I had originally anticipated and expected. I was EXPECTING this in-between time of the Race and college to be only about three months and it has ended up being five months long and I’m only a month in! It’s not what I was EXPECTING but it’s what the Lord has placed before me! I’ve felt small in this season and I see as though I am slowly growing into this new time and space provided. I feel small in this season now but I will soon grow into it!! YAY GROWTH!!
Growth is slow! It doesn’t happen overnight! But then you get to look back and you see how far you’ve come! How did I once start as a seed and grow into a flower!? A fruit!? A SPROUT!! That’s what the Lord does!! The Word and Holy Spirit water us to give our faith the nutrients we need to grow into a bigger faith. A stronger faith.
Here I have provided two photos. One is from the beginning of the previous season, the other is from me writing this very blog. Both photos from the beginnings of new seasons. I would also like to point out that in the second photo (which is hecka awk… but we love it) I am successfully using chopsticks which is an area of growth from the previous season.
WORD OF ADVICE: don’t forget to bring the lessons and skills you learned in the previous season into the next season as well! Don’t leave them behind!!
Where do seeds come from??
Dandelions. We’re all familiar right? Ya know the yellow flowers that turn into cotton balls on a stem!! You blow on them and all the seeds fly with the wind and eventually get planted somewhere new!! The Lord is the wind. And He blows on us and sends little seeds from us to someone else through the people we encounter in the day to day… While we’re still growing!! You can’t plant seeds in others without growth! Think about it, a seed can’t give away a seed, but a flower can give away seeds, MORE THAN ONE! We all wear off on other people one way or another. But get this! The flower is still just as strong as it was before it gave away seeds. The Lord takes seeds from you and plants them in people who need them! But He still sustains you even though He moved something from you to share with others! He won’t blow away seeds unless He would continue to sustain you, which He does. (That was hecka confusing I hope you followed my logic there)
“Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you… Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:28-30, 33)
Here is a photo of the lily fields near my home!! They are truly a magnificent sight!!
WHO should we be rooted in??
We should be rooted in Christ
He should be the ONLY thing we are rooted in. Not people, not even a place.
While on the World Race, I often felt very uncomfortable! Uncomfortable often meaning something I’m not used to! A new culture! A new ministry! New people! But the place I felt the most uncomfy (surprisingly) was my sleep space! I wasn’t in my bed from home. I didn’t have a nice fluffy Costco blanket or comforter. At one point I didn’t have a pillow (don’t leave your pillow on a bus kids). I didn’t have my own personal space besides my little bed. No privacy. And I often found myself missing “comforts from home.” Since coming home, I feel just as uncomfortable in my own room, my own bed, with my favorite blanket and a pillow as I did in my bed on the Race. I’ve found that my true comfort comes from Jesus. I’ve found comfort in my bed because I’d pray each night for Him to watch over me through the night! But Jesus is my source of comfort!! One day I was laying on the couch at home thinking, “Wow, I’m more comfortable in the presence of Jesus than I am on this couch.” Something to think about. The Lord invites us to live uncomfortable lives so that we rely on Jesus more and less on our earthly possessions and self.
For a long time whenever I would be upset about something, I would watch a movie or eat comfort food (I mean don’t we all) because I was hoping that that earthly thing would bring me comfort and help my situation. Get this. It only pushed off my emotions, brought absolutely NO truth into my feelings and left me bloated from excessive amounts of ice cream. HAH SPEAKING TRUTH. Since getting to know Jesus more, I run to Him when I am sad because He brings me comfort! I don’t have that desire for earthly things for comfort because they don’t help. Run to Jesus for your comfort!! He knows what ya need! Plus He gives the best hugs!!
We HAVE to be rooted in Christ! If we are rooted in Christ then it is HIS nutrients that fill our heart, soul and mind. HIS love that compels us to love others. HIS Word that speaks truth into our life. HIS gift of the Holy Spirit that guides us each day. HIS strength that allows us to come out of battles more alive than ever.
“It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants.” (Mark 4:31-32)
Flowers are living proof of the Lord’s faithfulness. If they can thrive and grow only receiving things from the Lord, YOU CAN TOO!
How has the Lord grown you in the last season?? How are you growing in the current season?? I would love for you to share, if you’re willing, and uplift each other in our growth big and small!
Lots of love!
Hannah 🙂
