Water your roots.
Kara and I planted some trees in our yard this summer. I felt so proud of myself…dug these fat holes in the super thick clay soil the builders so kindly provided us with. Took the time to throw some fertilizer down, break up the roots, and lower these bad boys into the ground. Boy do they look good in my yard!
These are arborvitae trees. They are most commonly used to 1) provide a wonderful green atmosphere and 2) create somewhat of a natural “fence.” We love our neighbors, it’s just weird that we can stare at each other and listen in to private conversations while eating dinner on our respective back porches!
We planted these trees during the drought we had in August. Granted, it was only a few weeks long, but it was still enough to let up on the rain! I suppose my green thumb is still in development, because I was only watering them every few days. Living in Seattle, I was somewhat under the assumption that we would have rain at least 3 times a week, but with summer actually arriving, it didn’t really turn out that way. Over the course of the past several weeks, I’ve watched our lush, green trees begin to turn brown and droopy (as you can see above). I felt so stupid when my mom asked me, “Have you been watering them every day?” The root system probably wants to punch me right in the face for being so negligent. Sorry root system, I’m still figuring out how to maintain a yard. #whatittakestobeaman
Now for the spiritual parallel: I started thinking about my spiritual life, and how it takes maintenance. I remember when I really gave my life to Jesus, and how it felt to be totally in love with Him. I lived off that high for a long time. I would read my Bible sometimes, but mostly just thought about how cool it was that I was rooted in Him. There have been many seasons like this in my life. I realized that if I didn’t spend time with the Lord in prayer and worship (including reading), my spiritual well-being would dry up quickly. I often relied on these spiritual boosts from camps, church gatherings, or even worship albums. However, if I went too long without drenching myself in the Word and in His presence, I would dry right up.
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis suggests, “if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?” Most cases in which I have seen someone walk away from the faith, it’s not because they came to a logical decision to leave. It’s often because the roots stopped being watered. Fellowship with other believer’s to encourage them and walk through hard times was neglected. The church wasn’t “feeding” them. There are plenty of reasons. The fact is, we must FEED OURSELVES. My pastor says this from the pulpit often. FEED YOURSELF. Water your roots. Stay nourished and connected.
Anyone can say that it’s silly to believe in something that one could so easily slip away from. I would have to disagree. Relationships take effort. In fact, everything in life takes effort! If you eat poorly and don’t work out, you get fat. If you don’t practice an instrument, you get worse. If you stop talking to your spouse, you lose them. It’s the same with faith. Many expect that a belief system should just be, and somehow serve you. The fact is, it’s not about you. It’s about Him, and what He did. I don’t serve a God who caters to my every desire, I serve a God who saw how messed up I was and saved my life. That’s worth working at. That’s worth investing in. That’s worth watering.
Water your roots.
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