Dear church,

A tree’s roots often go quite deep or extend out over a large area of ground. The more mature the tree, the more extensive the root system.

Paul told the church in Colossae to be “rooted and built up” in Christ.

When we say we are “putting down roots,” that means we are planning to stay put, to become a part of a place. Like a tree that has matured, a person who has put down roots has been there a while, and that person has put in the time and effort to become embedded in his or her geographic location or in his community. You know people like that. You can’t picture those people anywhere but their “home.”

If we pictured our Christian walk in this way, we might think less about running out and doing things for Jesus and more time in prayer, more time thinking about him, more time considering our actions before we carry them out. If we picture ourselves as rooted, first and foremost, we would seek out Christ’s perspective.

That’s it. Plainly, we would seek Him out first.

That’s what it means to be rooted. It means to go deeper, to drink more deeply of what lies beneath, to become a part of that place – so intertwined it is impossible to go anywhere else and survive.

Chris