Come, Sink Your Roots Deep in Me ~ Valerie Ronald

 

Jesus’ invitation this past year to sink my roots deep in Him is not the first time He has beckoned me to do so. Back in January I wrote about being rooted and grounded (Rooted and Grounded), sending my spiritual roots down into the rich soil of His love so I could bear fruit for Him in my life and writing.

When prompted to re-visit this theme, I recalled a time a few decades ago, prior to my world being shattered by multiple crises. Struggling to raise my three children while in a difficult marriage, my spiritual life suffered while I tried to survive. Then I began to hunger for God ˗˗ a hunger given by Him, for I did not have much appetite for spiritual food myself. For three years before the compounded trauma of a divorce, a cancer diagnosis and financial ruin, I craved more of God. I longed to feed on the rich nourishment of His Word, on intimate prayer and meditation and fellowship with other believers. As my roots grew deeper into His love, He revealed to me who I truly was. Not the weak, disappointing wife my husband told me I was, but God’s beloved, cherished child. As I feasted on His Word, I realized my true identity in Him. I no longer needed the unattainable good opinion of an emotionally abusive man.

During those three years, God prepared me for the coming storm by stirring my desire to sink my roots deep into Him so I could stand firm. I learned that Jesus Christ Himself is the soil where my soul finds nourishment and strength. As I absorbed His truths and teachings, the more I grew. I would not have survived the onslaught if not for complete dependence on Him. I could fill a book with stories of how He sustained me and my family during those painful times, which brings me back to the present, these closing days of 2022.

I prayerfully desire to bear fruit from my growth in the form of a memoir I am presently writing. Since God stirred my hunger for Him, I keep feeding upon His life-giving love. Growth needs to continue if I am to accomplish the task He has set. I cannot do it unless I abide in Him. He has established me, rooted and grounded in Himself, and is now calling me to tell my story in which He is the central figure.

I must admit, sending roots down in order to grow is not always easy. Sometimes the tender, searching roots hit stony ground. Writing my story requires me to revisit memories which come with residual emotional pain ˗˗ stones in the way of going deeper. Here God reminds me of the restorative healing He has done in me since then. Those memories no longer have power to wound me. My prayer is that the story of my healing journey will someday help others to find healing as they go deeper with God to become rooted and grounded in His love.

Your spiritual roots go deeply into His life as you are continually infused with strength, encouraged in every way. For you are established in the faith you have absorbed and enriched by devotion to Him! - (Col. 2:7 The Passion Translation)

More of Valerie's work can be read on her blog:

https://scriptordeus.wordpress.com/

Rooted and Grounded ~ Valerie Ronald

 

Snug in my house during a fierce west coast storm, I listened to the howl of gale force winds and watched torrential rain lashing the windows. The grove of tall fir trees near my house bore the brunt of the storm, branches whipping and trunks swaying, the occasional limb breaking with a sharp crack then dropping to the ground. If one of those huge trees should be uprooted and fall on my house, it would cause much damage. But that was a remote possibility because I had walked around the base of the trees often and knew they were firmly rooted and grounded in the soil. It would take more than a big storm to topple those well-established trees.

As I seek God’s personal invitation to me for 2022, concerning direction for my spiritual and writing life, the phrase “rooted and grounded” keeps coming to the forefront of my mind, accompanied by the picture of those stalwart fir trees standing firm through a storm.

The apostle Paul’s prayer for the believers in Ephesus passionately expresses his desire for them to be rooted and grounded in love.  "...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith˗˗that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ” (Eph.3:17-19 ESV) 

The word know jumps off the page when I read this verse.

To be rooted and grounded solidly in God’s love and all that it encompasses, I need to know Him intimately. I need to search Him out, the way tree roots search for nutrients in the soil. The deeper I grow into the soil of His love, the stronger I can stand when storms hit. The more firmly I am rooted and grounded in God’s character and who I am in Him, the more I will flourish and bear fruit.

So how do I do it? How do I send roots down where my spirit can be nurtured and strengthened? How does doing so influence my writing? The growth of a tree is a result of what goes on beneath the soil. In my spiritual growth Jesus Christ Himself is the soil, rich with nourishment and strength found in His Word. The more I absorb His truths and teachings, the more I will grow. 

 

 “Your spiritual roots go deeply into His life as you are continually infused with strength, encouraged in every way. For you are established in the faith you have absorbed and enriched by your devotion to him!” (Col. 2:7 Passion Translation)

Lately one of the ways I am reading my bible is as a storybook, from beginning to end, as much or as little as I want, getting a sense of the overarching story line, characters, settings and plot. This new and refreshing view opens up insights I’ve missed before. I still practice more traditional study as well, however I find my mind returning often to the exciting drama of God’s story as a narrative. Discovering new ways of taking in the nourishment of God’s Word keeps my spiritual growth fresh, revealing different facets of God’s love and character. Reading scripture this way is also sparking inspiration for writing.

Did you know that the visible roots which grow from the base of a tree trunk are called heart roots? They are primary roots which grow multiple secondary roots in search of water and nutrients. Heart roots in my life with God could be defined as spiritual disciplines. A consistent devotional and prayer time, in-depth study of the scriptures in a group or individually, belonging to a church family that is bible-based, worship-focused and servant-hearted˗˗these disciplines provide food for spiritual growth.

Most healthy trees produce some type of fruit, berries, nuts, or seeds. I see my writing as a fruit originating from my spiritual life. When my spirit is dry and I’m not actively sending down roots seeking out spiritual nourishment, my writing life suffers a drought as well. They are intrinsically linked. My intimacy with God determines the impact of my writing life.

This year God is inviting me to become more deeply rooted and grounded in His love, to know this love that surpasses knowledge. If I can grow like a strong, healthy tree, I will bear fruit to help nurture those whose roots are shallow and whose spirits need nourishment.

“Love is the soil in which our life must have its roots; and it is the rock upon which our faith must ever rest.” ~ W. Graham Scroggie 

 

More of Valerie's work can be read on her blog:

https://scriptordeus.wordpress.com/