This time of year it is
impossible for me to have nice, manicured nails. Warmer days, the passing of
the threat of frost and sunshine all beckon me to dig in the dirt. Even when I
wear my gardening gloves, my hands get dirty and develop some calluses, too.
I am a city girl,
through and through, have never lived on a farm, but even since moving to a
townhome where a service mows my yard, I cannot resist planting a few things in
the ground, and of course, some containers, too.
Last summer I planted
some perennial grasses in large containers on my deck. I hoped they would
return, as perennials are supposed to. I knew planting them in containers might
mean the winter cold would kill the delicate roots. Roots that if planted in
the ground would reach deep down and keep the life in the plant so it would
grow again the next season. Alas, my container perennials did not survive the
winter. They sat as lifeless as the dirt, brown and unsightly.
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| Dead perennial roots. They actually went deeper, but I cut them off with a trowel so I could extract them from the container. |
I knew I had to dig out
those clumps of prairie grass before I could put new soil and plants in the
containers. I started digging and was shocked at the strength of those dead
roots. They were bunched together, intertwined, forming a compact center, and
they reached very deep into the container. It took a lot of time and energy to
finally pull out the dead roots.
This exercise – and it
really was a bit of a workout as I tugged and dug – got my mind to wandering,
thinking about roots.
My wandering mind went
to my own roots – family and spiritual. Roots that can’t be seen, but they
certainly anchor me, just as plant roots anchor. I have deep family roots, and
am attempting to grow deep roots with my children and grandchildren.
Spiritual roots are essential
for me. I have a deep-rooted, long-time faith in Jesus as my savior, but in
recent years, my spiritual roots have gone deeper and broader. For me, just
embracing beliefs is not enough. I need to grow in my faith – experience God’s
presence in my life.
My faith could have
wavered when my worst fear came true: my husband was diagnosed and within four
months, died of ALS. I have never been afraid of dying, but losing my husband
was a very real fear. And it happened.
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| Red yarrow |
If my roots had not been
firmly planted, I may have become “stuck” at the prospect of being a widow and
alone. I might have been like that clump of dead perennial roots that was
supposed to grow again but didn’t. Those roots were still present, taking up
space, but they sure were not growing.
This life is a journey.
I still have times when I wonder where my life is going and what I am here for.
And I admit being alone is sometimes hard. But, for the most part, my roots
have grown deeper. When a plant grows good strong roots, it usually blooms and
flourishes. And it can withstand wind and other environmental “hazards.” In the
same way, God has helped me to flourish and grow in this life I now have. And I
am grateful for that.
It is reassuring to me
to know that, though I am a widow, God is with me. He is opening the path for
my life journey ahead of me. I do not know what is ahead – no one really does –
but I know I can trust because God is with me, and he loves me even more than
my husband did.
I was reading the
Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians today, and was struck by these verses
that talk about our roots.
“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as
you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and
keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people
should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you
experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.”
-- Ephesians 3:17-19 (NLT)
Did you catch the phrase
“all God’s people” in that passage? His love is all-inclusive – it’s for you,
too. You can trust God with your life path, even when it’s rocky because of
losses, hurts and illness, because he loves you more than anyone can. Take
Paul’s advise: put your roots in God’s love and it will keep you strong.
“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is
in you all day long.”
-- Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)
