I reached in the box and pulled up a lily plant. The shiny green leaves broke off in my hand. They weren’t necessary anyway, so I just tossed them aside.
Then I reached back in and pulled out a shaggy clump of roots. Ah, this was the good stuff.
The good stuff? I looked again at the roots. Hairy, gnarled bunches of plant material made a pallid color from a life underground. No doubt about it, roots are ugly.
I stuck the spade in the soil and made a hole. Then, that disgusting pile of roots was gently placed in the ground, the soil placed on top and tapped down. This time next year, those roots will be producing beautiful lily blooms.
Then I got to thinking … without ugly roots, there can be no pretty flowers.
Several times in the Bible, God tells us to be rooted in him so that we may flourish.
Growing roots is not pretty. It’s done in the dark, in quiet hours of reading the Word, praying, wrestling and searching. Frustrating times of pushing up against rocks, but growing stronger in the process.
No one sees what’s going on below the surface. How much work you’re putting in, how many hairy tentacles are branching out and giving you nourishment.
For three seasons of the year, roots are hard at work, but nothing shows above ground. One day, though, those roots pay off and create lovely, fragrant blooms, awash with color and life.
I’ve been blessed to know many people who produce rich, abundant fruit in their lives – love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, self-discipline. As I get to know them, I learn about the dark, lonely, ugly times that were necessary to produce the roots that ultimately yielded the fruit.
Lately, I have been thankful – yes, thankful – for times I was forced to reach down and grow roots into God’s word. It may take time, but healthy roots always produce beautiful things in our lives.
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7
I love this so much. What an awesome word picture you have given us. Thank you!
[...] Roots [...]