Gratitude Is the Lifeline to Joyಮಾದರಿ

Day 7: Planting Strong Roots

By Emily Hutchinson

Read: Colossians 2:6-7

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Reflection:

I'm not a gardener by any means, but I love flowers. Who doesn’t? I so badly wanted to learn how to grow my own flowers. I have a friend that gave me Delilah tubers and instructed me on how and where to plant them in order to have big, beautiful Delilah flowers. I did as she told me, planted in good soil, in the sun, watered, and patiently waited. Each and every morning, I went out to check to see if there were any sprouting up. One morning, about a month after I had planted them, I saw a green leaf poking through the soil. I was so overjoyed and just couldn’t wait for more to grow. Over the weeks, they all came up. I didn’t know what colors they would be when I planted them, so each flower that bloomed was really a treat to me and a surprise. I can’t believe I really grew the flowers. My family and I have been sharing them and blessing our neighbors and first responders with bouquets.

I like to compare growing flowers to our relationship with God. The roots are the Word, Prayer is sunlight, and Worship music is the rain. Flowers need strong roots; they need proper sun, and they also need rain. The three things we, as Jesus followers, need to strengthen our relationship with the Lord. If we are not reading our Bibles, we don’t have strong roots. You can’t grow without sun and rain, prayer and worship.

Let’s go back to Colossians. Scripture tells us our truth, and we as Jesus followers should stay rooted in Him. We are living in a very hard time right now, where it may be easy to let faith fall by the wayside. It’s easier than ever to get discouraged. Let social media and TV darken our spirits. That’s what Satan would love. Without water, sunlight, and strong roots, my flowers would not have thrived. Without prayer, worship, and the Word, our lives would not fully bloom. Satan would love for our faith to die. Satan certainly doesn’t want us to help our neighbor’s gardens grow. Right now, we need to stay strong more than ever. We need to help people see Love through us. We need to encourage people that desperately want Hope. We need to be the light to the world.

My prayer for you today is, “Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, thank you. Thank you for your Word that we may fill our souls with your truth, and that we may grow stronger every day walking with you. You know our hearts and our struggles. Don’t let us lose sight of what matters most: You. Help us reach people with our love for you, Lord. Help us create gardens that bloom fully, beautiful, and strong. Help us to show our friends, family, and neighbors how to grow in you. Let us be the light for you, Jesus. Help us to show our children how to grow with us. Lead us, guide us, strengthen our hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. In your almighty name, Amen.”