"Stay Rooted"

Roots. We've all seen them or possibly tripped over them if you're clumsy like me. Perhaps, if you paid attention in elementary biology class, you heard of their importance in maintaining the health of a tree or plant. Roots run deep underground not only soaking up water and nutrients to keep the plant alive but also anchoring the plant in place when storms blow through or outside forces attack.

In Colossians 2:6-7, Paul writes, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." God put it on my heart to create this blog to develop a community of believers that can help each other remain rooted in Christ when the storms of life blow by or the world tries to feed us false ideologies. The enemy will try all he can to suck the truth and joy from Christ's people. This is why it's not enough to just accept Christ into your heart and continue living as you once did. Paul explains that the acceptance of salvation should bring about a change in heart. The enemy doesn't stop working after you've received Christ into your heart. In fact, he will work harder than ever to pull you away from God. After all, the enemy doesn't attack those who aren't believers because in his mind he's already won the battle against them. The enemy is chasing after those who are chasing after God. Therefore, it is vital that we continually fuel our hearts and minds with the Word. When we do this, God becomes our unwavering support to fall back on, and no outside force can win their attack on us. Since the enemy is always trying to cause our faith to waver, we must continuously reinforce our roots in Christ, so they grow deeper and our faith becomes immovable.

Roots have one additional role I didn't mention above: their community. They have the ability to create deep, complex systems of interwoven vines to enhance their support and share nutrients with neighboring plants. As the body of Christ, we are to do the same. When we unite in fellowship and hold each other accountable, we are stronger. In addition, the more people there are united in the Body of Christ, the greater impact we can have in our outreach.

So, how exactly can you "Stay Rooted" in God? I'm so glad you asked! The first thing you can do is pray consistently and frequently. Even simple conversations throughout the day will help keep Him at the forefront of your mind instead of being buried underneath the list of worries and to-dos. We live in a culture that is always trying to keep us busy and productive. Imagine the impact on our mental health when we focus more on Christ and less on the endless stressors thrown our way. In fact, neuroscientists have conducted various studies and determined that anxiety and gratitude cannot even coexist in the brain at the same time. Even if we just take more time to stop and thank God for the little things in our lives, it can be an easy but powerful first step to get you praying more often. Ultimately, prayer has the power to change everything and is an essential part of staying rooted in Christ.

Next, read scripture and read it often. It is so easy to let reading scripture fall into a box you check and move on. I know I am certainly guilty of this too. We need to spend time meditating on scripture and diving deeper than just what’s on the surface. I mentioned, above, that roots unite and share nutrients because they somehow know that it is necessary and beneficial for their neighbors. Our society tends to view the Word of God as a buffet, picking and choosing the parts that make them feel good. As believers, we either believe that all of the Bible is divinely inspired or none of it is (this is one of those "tough" topics that I will focus on in a later post). God's Word is our ultimate source of "nutrients", and all of it is necessary and beneficial for us. His truth will always remain the same in a world that is telling us truth is relative.

Finally, surround yourself with other Christians. The people we surround ourselves with can play a vital role in how we choose to live. The Bible tells us that "iron sharpens iron"; in the same way, being in a community with other believers may encourage us to walk away from sinful habits, give us the support we desperately need, and answer questions about things we may not understand.

All that being said, whether you're a Christian, an atheist, a differing religion, or not quite sure where you're at when it comes to this whole “God” thing, this is a place where questions are welcome, support is given, and love is found. It is my goal to help you root yourself in Christ or stay rooted by providing weekly truth, encouragement, community, and comfort. As we go through the weeks, I've laid out some of the most difficult concepts and questions I feel believers and nonbelievers struggle with when it comes to Christianity. So, I pray you will continue to engage with this blog and that it would be a blessing to you.

May your roots run deep, and your faith remains strong. As always, stay rooted, my friend! <3