November 5
And that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. Ephesians 3:17
Walking into our sunroom this morning, out of the corner of my eye I noticed one of my plants drooping. The dark silver-green oval leaves, usually bright, upright and welcoming like open arms, are now bending forward, bowing down almost looking sad. Having re-potted it in the spring and seeing its new growth over the summer, it appeared to be doing fine. In the fall plants rest, even house plants, so I took that into consideration. On further examination, it was clear, that the plant just did not have enough support. So I took it out of the pot again and noticed that its roots are shallow, unlike many other plants I have, which send down a web or tangled strong roots quite quickly. Needless to say, the pot I had put it in was just too deep for this plant, so a new pot I placed it in just a few minutes ago, along with fresh soil, and already it looks happier.
All this got me to thinking about an event that occurred in one of my daughters’ neighborhood this past Sunday at the end of the Northeaster. Her neighbors had extensive damage done to their home from a tree that fell into it, breaking through the roof and into several rooms. Families that surround them rallied together to assist this elderly couple, helping to move debris and cover broken areas in an effort to prevent further harm from occurring inside their home while the rain continued to fall. All the houses in their neighborhood were built in a huge pine forest. Conifers, I have been told by my late, old friend, Tom, have shallow roots compared to deciduous trees. This is debatable of course, but nonetheless the pines in my daughter’s neighborhood seem to fall easily.
When our roots run deep, we draw from all the life-giving forces around us, our thirst is readily quenched, we stand tall and firm, and we are capable of withstanding any storms we face. Our roots in faith, the most important of all, have been handed down to us for generations; and when we open our hearts to God in prayer, open our Bibles and read our History, open our lives to give to one another, we begin to understand the deep rooted love of God that is our inheritance, and we are grounded in it.
God of all creation! Thank you for the roots you have established within us. May we continue to keep them watered in the ways of our Faith, so they may grow deep and strong for generations to come.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
And that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. Ephesians 3:17
Walking into our sunroom this morning, out of the corner of my eye I noticed one of my plants drooping. The dark silver-green oval leaves, usually bright, upright and welcoming like open arms, are now bending forward, bowing down almost looking sad. Having re-potted it in the spring and seeing its new growth over the summer, it appeared to be doing fine. In the fall plants rest, even house plants, so I took that into consideration. On further examination, it was clear, that the plant just did not have enough support. So I took it out of the pot again and noticed that its roots are shallow, unlike many other plants I have, which send down a web or tangled strong roots quite quickly. Needless to say, the pot I had put it in was just too deep for this plant, so a new pot I placed it in just a few minutes ago, along with fresh soil, and already it looks happier.
All this got me to thinking about an event that occurred in one of my daughters’ neighborhood this past Sunday at the end of the Northeaster. Her neighbors had extensive damage done to their home from a tree that fell into it, breaking through the roof and into several rooms. Families that surround them rallied together to assist this elderly couple, helping to move debris and cover broken areas in an effort to prevent further harm from occurring inside their home while the rain continued to fall. All the houses in their neighborhood were built in a huge pine forest. Conifers, I have been told by my late, old friend, Tom, have shallow roots compared to deciduous trees. This is debatable of course, but nonetheless the pines in my daughter’s neighborhood seem to fall easily.
When our roots run deep, we draw from all the life-giving forces around us, our thirst is readily quenched, we stand tall and firm, and we are capable of withstanding any storms we face. Our roots in faith, the most important of all, have been handed down to us for generations; and when we open our hearts to God in prayer, open our Bibles and read our History, open our lives to give to one another, we begin to understand the deep rooted love of God that is our inheritance, and we are grounded in it.
God of all creation! Thank you for the roots you have established within us. May we continue to keep them watered in the ways of our Faith, so they may grow deep and strong for generations to come.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson