Recently, my personal devotions led me to Ephesians 3. As the speaker expounded on verse 17, he made a statement I found difficult to believe. In talking about the great Sequoia trees in California, he first explained that these trees can grow up to 300 feet tall and have trunks that measure 20-40 feet in diameter. He then moved on to talk about the roots of these mighty trees, at which point I expected to hear that they go down 50-100 feet.
What he said surprised me. I listened only to hear that the roots of a Sequoia tree only go down 6-12 feet into the ground. (Of course, I looked this statement up to verify it!)
While stunned by the shallowness of the roots’ depth, the thing that amazed me to learn is that these roots spread out up to 150 feet in all directions. Not only that, but they also intertwine with the roots of other Sequoia trees around them. This linking of the trees creates a type of anchoring system to support all the trees in the grove against the strong California storms.
My Roots
This got me to thinking about my own roots. Debbie’s family (on both sides) provided her with intertwining, linking, anchoring roots. My family provided only to a degree. Together we have both worked hard at providing these anchoring spiritual roots for our children and grandchildren.
During my reflection, I’ve also come to see my church family as a way for providing the root system of the Sequoia. My roots, though not necessarily deep, intertwine and link with each of my brothers and sisters in Christ. This anchors me. It produces within me a strength that I don’t have on my own. By choosing to stay active in church and with my Christian family, I can help keep myself strong and my church family strong.
Paul tells us in Ephesians that with Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith, we can be rooted in love! However, this only happens when we are involved in our church. We can’t be strengthening our brothers and sisters in Christ unless we are actively involved with them.
This truth is the same when applied to our own families. As I meditate on it personally, I understand that being rooted in Christ helps keep my children and grandchildren strong in Christ. An intertwining and linking is necessary for anchoring. It’s up to Debbie and me to form a root system for them that provides an anchor. And as we help develop this root system for them, it will in turn allow them to develop an anchoring root system for their future generations.
