The Importance of Depth

Giddy with excitement, my eyes locked onto the wooden masterpiece as I walked down the aisle of the home décor store.

I could not believe what was sitting on the shelf right in front of me. The handcrafted tree was gorgeous.  What a wonderful surprise.

Trees remind us of the importance of depth. 

Stop and visualize this with me. Think about the massive branches of a tree. They extend high, fanning out to reach for the sunlight. They stretch in all directions allowing for new leaves to develop. Now picture this same vast growth under the tree, below the dirt where no one can see it. Imagine how the roots spread out wide and plunge down deep to match the substantial expansion of the tree above. 

Have you ever thought about what is happening underground. Since our eyes cannot see roots, our minds may think they are unimportant to the overall health of the tree. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Deep roots are essential for trees to be able to endure strong winds and floods. Without depth, gusts of wind and raging water can easily knock over a tree.  

Just like a tree needs depth to withstand the storms of life, God wants us to grow deep roots in our faith to endure difficulties in our lives.          

Listen to these verses in Jeremiah: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”

Trees are a powerful reminder to get rooted! 

As Jeremiah 17:7-9 illustrates, those who trust in the Lord and have placed their hope and confidence in Him are like deeply rooted trees that stay green and fruitful and are not bothered by the heat and drought. They thrive even in the harshest conditions.

Are you rooted? If a storm came blowing into your life right now, have you grown deep enough roots in your faith to handle it?

My prayer is that we can dig deeper into God’s Word every day to grow a massive root system. Then we will not be troubled by the unexpected, but will continue to be healthy and bear fruit, just like Jeremiah teaches us.

Let’s be intentional in growing deep roots!

Love, Jodi