“It was strong and beautiful, with wide-spreading branches, for its roots went deep into abundant water.” Ezekiel 31:7 (NLT)

There are lots of hard decisions to make in life but I never really expected one to be about a tree. We went back and forth, pros and cons, heart and logic, but in the end, hard as it was, we decided it had to come down.

A beautiful tree, it stood tall above our roofline and that was the problem.  Building a new house in its shadow was risky. A storm with a strong wind could topple the giant right onto our home, crushing everything underneath. It made sense to simply push it over. As it turned out, there was nothing simple about it! Our majestic pine had roots that ran wide and so deep that even with a backhoe bucket pushing with all its might, the tree held tight. With persistence and hard work, the towering conifer finally shuddered and fell, revealing an intricate and strong root system when it did.

There is a lesson for me, for us, in the example of our tree:

“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. Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)

The storms of life come at us, too. We can easily be blown off course, crushed in spirit, pushed to our limit! That’s why we need our hope and confidence to be grounded in God. ** Paul said it better than I ever could:

“I pray that from his glorious unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.  Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:16-19 (NLT)

As we ponder on these words today, let’s remember that though we may sometimes find ourselves trying to stand firm in the midst of a whirlwind buffeting our souls or that our peace has been tempest tossed: We are rooted in love! And not just any love, but an intricate love so strong and so deep that it nailed Christ to a tree that we may be made complete in Him. When we make the decision to accept His sacrifice, we can be confident that despite our circumstances we’re able to stand securely, spread His beauty, and live fruitful lives, no matter where it is we find ourselves planted.

This post is written as part of the 31 Days of Five Minute Friday Free Writes Challenge. You can read posts from other writers on the same topics over at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com I hope you know that I so appreciate you being here! God bless, Cindy