Rooted in Christ

 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit."

(Jeremiah 17: 7-8, NLT)

This has been an extremely long, hot summer.  In fact, I think it started back in the spring.  Temperatures in the nineties, with heat indexes on some days over 100 degrees.  John and I like to landscape and plant flowers.  This year, we planted quite a few annuals.  Most did not make much of a showing due to this heat.  Even the petunias did not do well.  However, the perennials and shrubs are still making it, in spite of not much extra watering (except for the rains).  Their root systems are much stronger and deeper than the annuals, so they have been able to withstand this drought. 

Much like plants/flowers, so is our spiritual life.  We can water and nurture our spirit by feeding on God's Word and staying in daily prayer to Him.  Our walk with God will mature, becoming stronger and deeper as the days pass.  However, we can spend a minimal amount of time with God, and not have a very strong "root system".  Storms of life will come, swaying us back and forth.  Sometimes, the winds will blow so hard, "knocking us off our feet", pulling out the small roots that were there.  But, if our roots go deep in the Lord, even though we may bend until we think we will break, we will continue to stand.  That's why it's important to be grounded in Jesus Christ!

"Just like a tree that's planted by the waters, I shall not be moved."