Firmly Rooted

 Brenda and I just moved into a home in Fritch. A massive tree sits in the front yard. The root system is impressive. They are large and surround the tree. Too large to safely navigate around them with my mower. The circumference of the tree suggests it has stood longer than I have been alive. The canopy of branches provides lots of shade and nesting places for the birds. 

The storms in the Panhandle are unlike anything I have ever seen. A native of deep east Texas, we rarely saw storms as violent as we have witnessed here in the past nine weeks. I thought about that tree and all the storms it has survived. Hurricane force winds. Hale stones that have pummeled it numerous times. Blazing hot summer droughts and blizzards in the winter. That tree has survived a great deal. No matter what weather came it endured.

One of the keys to the tree's longevity is the deep roots. When the winds howl, the roots anchor the tree. In drought the roots find water down deep. If the tree had a more shallow root system, it could be toppled in the storms like so many other shallow rooted ones. This tree is a survivor. 

It makes me think about people. There are people who have firmly rooted themselves in the Bible and God. They have endured different kinds of storms. Like financial crisis, wars, stock market crashes, disease, droughts, wild fires, death of loved ones and divorce. Because those roots were so deep and they built their life on a solid foundation, they were able to persevere through pestilence, pandemics, and physician's diagnosis. They pressed on. The winds and storms of life rushed against them, but they kept standing because they were firmly rooted. They built their lives on a solid foundation. 

Many others who built their  lives on popularity, power, and the endless pursuit of pleasure were toppled by storms. Their mental health crumbled like sandcastles on the beach. Their shallow roots did not hold fast in the tough times. They were storm tossed, battered, and bruised by life. They suffered much from the storms and limp along in life. They do not stand firm because they were not firmly rooted in solid ground. 

I will often look at that grand tree in my front yard and be reminded I must be firmly rooted in solid soil. If I am to survive the storms of life like that old tree, I better set my roots deep in the soil of God and His word. I hope you will do the same. We all need a solid foundation on which to build our lives. [Matthew 7:24-29]