Rooted And Grounded In The Faith


We've had some pretty wild winds in Southeast Iowa in 2025, and this tree was one of the casualties. It was so cool to see the root system, still with a tap root, and what was happening under the soil all those years. There were a lot of small roots, but they didn't go out very far or very deep. It's no surprise that it keeled over.


There are a couple of passages of Scripture that always come to mind when I see exposed roots like this. 

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7

We can't be built up in Christ until we've firmly and completely rooted ourselves in Him. That means making a habit of studying His word, spending time in prayer communicating with Him, and placing His glory first and foremost in everything we do.

Then comes the building up, the benefits and blessings that come when we have relationship with the God of the universe. His grace comes in so many different forms, like the branches and leaves of the tree soaring upward, and that abounding thanksgiving is the only response our hearts could possibly have.


It's easy to see once the tree is roots-up what the problem was. The dry, sandy dirt didn't allow the root system to drill deep enough to stand up to fierce wind. One massive gust after another and it toppled. Spiritually, with Christ in your heart and His love as your soil, you can get rooted fully and completely.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19


There is very little in this world that is worth being stedfast to. But being rooted and grounded in love, fixed and confident in Christ alone, is worth our dedication. Words like settled and established aren't often heard these days, but they mean everything when we're rooted and built up in the Lord.

What condition are your roots in today? Are you dug in deep, or are you going to topple at the first gust of wind?

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