A Successful Transplant

Some qualities of gardeners: committed, patient, faithful, rooted.

This last, rooted, appeals to me, probably because I have been uprooted. Several times, actually. The first time, I was a high school freshman, and it was temporary; a one-year gig:  doable, survivable. Some time later, I was uprooted again, but this time, I was over 40. This time it was for good. And guess what? Also survivable. Somehow, I still feel rooted; grounded.

I have learned that roots are in your soul. 

What a strange and wonderful gift, roots. The Word says that a tree, planted by water, that life-giving source, will develop roots so strong that it can withstand pretty much anything, and it will still bear fruit. Likewise, life roots. Planted in the Word, our life-giving source, our roots gain strength and offer protection so that we can go on bearing fruit despite our circumstances. 

Sometimes people are appalled at how many times Shane and I have moved. I understand this, having been rooted to one physical location for most of my life. However, I now know that “uprooted” is not synonymous with “death”.  In fact, it is possible, as any gardener knows, to be transplanted and to thrive outside one’s original container. Mine was a very sturdy, very tall, very comfortable box. Alas, my cozy box was growth-inhibiting. Thank goodness I was rooted in the Source. Puny roots would have been my downfall. 

God knows me and loves me so well, that he nourishes me through physical things of His own design: horticulture and home. Consider the Garden of Eden; lovingly, horticulturally designed as a home for His ultimate creation: man. Like Eden, my home and my garden, no matter the location on the globe, feed my soul. Isn't that the very definition of roots?

Jeremiah 17:8 “They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” NIV