Have you planted trees before? I remember the year that I bought $5 spruce “trees” and put them in the ground. They were basically just one main sprig growing from soil in five gallon pails, and all but one had started to grow little buds that would soon become branches. That was 12 years ago, and although they were planted in a row at the same time, they’re not all the same size, nor do they have the same fullness. Why?

Trees have roots, and those roots are responsible for accessing all the food and water the plant needs as it grows. In damp, nutrient-rich soil, trees grow big and full, but in dry, nutrient-depleted soil, trees remain stunted in their growth.

In the same way, people’s spiritual, emotional and mental growth varies depending on the depth of their roots and the richness of the “soil” they are planted in. Because we’re not trees, we can choose to move to different places, choose where to “root” ourselves spiritually, and choose how much energy we put into sending our roots deep into the soil to search for nutrients in that place.

God tells us that as his children, we are rooted in his LOVE, but since we choose how deep we want to reach and how firmly we want to establish ourselves there, we either reach for every bit of food and water available to us, we choose to grow with shallow roots close to the surface, or we allow ourselves to reach somewhere in between.

If you were a tree, how firmly rooted are you in God’s love?

Imagine yourself growing to become full, strong and confident.

Imagine reaching your full potential, realizing that the amount you grow into the person you were created to be is fully your choice.

Can you see that there is no advantage to keeping your roots close to the surface? After all, a tree with shallow roots is more likely to topple over in a storm, regardless of how much it grows.

Challenge yourself to DIG DEEP into the WORD OF GOD and your faith in GOD’S LOVE and promises. GROW into your FULL POTENTIAL!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge– that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV