Roots!

Roots serve as the the essential foundation, the basic core; they are the support and the origin of a plant. Metaphorically speaking, spiritual roots are the foundations of our faith. Where they are rooted, how deep our roots are and the extent of the roots determine the origin, strength and the expanse of our faith. This seems to be quite the theme in the life of Mariah lately.

One night while reading Ephesians I ran into a verse that really struck my heart. Ephesians 3: 17, "And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love." Goodness me, what a line! Paul is the man! By planting ourselves in Christ and establishing our roots in Him, He becomes our center; our foundation and our support. Because we are so weak as humans we need a strong foundation. God, being so awesome, provides that for us. He offers us His "soil of love" so that we can plant our roots and faith in Him, and not be shaken.

"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 heat or worried by long months of drought, and they go right on producing delicious fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8. Recently, based on this passage, the Sunday school group at my church chose to refer themselves as "Roots." Both as a group and individually (speaking for everyone, hopefully accurately), we have rooted our hope and confidence in God, making him the essential foundation of our hearts and the ministry.

The BASIC Club at JCC has just started an unofficial series of discussions that we have agreed to call "The Roots of Faith." Considering the previous definitions of 'roots,' the title is self explanatory. We all agree that although we have already established ourselves in Christ, that it is important to recall and meditate on the origin of our faith and why it is there. Having a confirmed understanding of exactly what it means to be a Christian will help us to confidently share our faith and will ultimately deepen our 'roots' in Christ.

Also throughout this week I have been thinking a lot about the testimony (see previous post). The testimony reveals what God has done in one's life, and exposes the roots of that believer. A testimony is another way of showing somebody how, why and where you have established your 'roots,' and can help them to establish theirs as well.

Often people use the term 'roots' to refer to where they grew up. In this case, fortunately but unfortunately I have to claim Belmont as my 'roots.' Its unavoidable! I live in Belmont, grew up in Belmont, went to school in Belmont, currently work in Belmont, and buried my grandparents in Belmont. Belmont is inevitably one of Mariah's roots. After whining to God about wanting something new, I was convicted, and God gave me a heart for this poor, potentially hopeless town, that just so happens to be part of my foundation.

Roots, roots, roots, roots, roots, roots, roots. Alllllllll week long, rootskis, Rooty McRootytons. Finally, I think I get it. God wants me to establish my roots in Him and help others to do the same. Der, out of 5 years of being a Christian you would think I would have this down by now. God knows me too well, praise Him, and may your roots find themselves deeply and strongly fixed in "God's soil of love."