“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6-7)
“…if the root is holy, so are the branches.” (Romans 11:16)
“Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.” (Luke 8:13)
I love trees. Being in the middle of a mature, deciduous forest is definitely one of my ‘happy places.’ If pressed, I think that Silver Birch might be my absolute favourite species. Trees make frequent appearances in my sketch books and paintings (see above). And I find many useful sermon illustrations from them too. Lately, tree roots have especially interested me. Most of our UK tree species, broadly speaking, have a fairly standard pattern of roots: the central tap root that drives straight down into the soil, the thick oblique roots that spread (usually at ground level and often very visible, anchoring and stabilising the tree), the tapering lateral roots that spread outwards in a radial pattern to match the tree canopy above (seeking water shed from the canopy above), and sinker roots that travel downwards from the oblique and lateral roots (seeking nutrients and water). Some of our trees have a surprisingly small lateral spread, making them vulnerable to strong winds. We’ve probably all seen wind-felled conifers after storms and been surprised at how small a ‘circle’ of roots can be seen. And yet other species can have enormous, invasive oblique and lateral roots that strike out far beyond the overhanging canopy.
There’s a mature ornamental Cherry tree I often pass on Glasgow Road in Blantyre that has the most astonishing oblique roots I have ever seen. There are four of them, spreading out from the main trunk at roughly 90-degree intervals. They are all thicker than the largest of the main boughs in the canopy and they each extend at least 3 times beyond the radius of the canopy without any sign of tapering off before moving below ground level. The January storms brought down the Rowan tree at the corner of our Church’s building that grazed the roof and walls on its way down – fortunately with very little damage. The exposed trunk and roots had clearly rotted and it’s a wonder that it never fell before. But the Cherry tree on Glasgow Road looks like its healthy roots could withstand a Hurricane.
Passing that Cherry tree with its root system this week reminded me of Colossians 2:7 and made me reflect on my own spiritual roots. The tap root that anchors me in Christ, the four strong oblique roots that provide stability (faith, friendship, fellowship, family), the lateral roots that reach out for water (the reading and study of Scripture, the prayers and intercessions, the sermons that feed my soul), and the sinker roots that seek out nutrition from the soil (the network of conferences and connections and conversations that feed faith).
So, how strong are your roots? What is your life rooted in? How do you nurture your spiritual life so that it will withstand the storms that come? Praying we all “continue to live our lives in Christ, rooted and built up in Him” (Colossians 2:7)