Hello,
My fellow hearkeners.
Take a moment to settle into a comfortable position.
Allow your body to relax and your breathing to slow.
There's an old saying,
Strong trees grow under lots of wind.
Strong trees grow under lots of wind.
When the wind moves through a forest,
The trees bend and sway.
Branches rustle softly in the air.
Yet over time,
Those very winds help the trees grow stronger.
Their roots reach deeper into the earth.
Their trunks grow steady and resilient.
The wind that bends the branches can also strengthen the tree.
The Psalms offer a similar image.
In Psalm 1,
We hear these words.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
Bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither.
Their leaves never wither.
The Hebrew word used here for planted is shetul.
It doesn't simply describe a tree that grew here by chance.
It describes a tree that has been deliberately planted beside living water.
A tree placed where its roots can reach the stream.
A tree planted beside the river does not avoid the wind.
Storms still move through a forest.
The branches still bend and sway.
Yet the tree does not fear the wind,
Because its roots run deep.
Hidden beneath the surface,
The roots stretch quietly toward the water,
Drawing life,
Strength,
Nourishment.
Over time,
The winds that shake the branches and sway the tree become part of the tree's strength.
The wind does not uproot the tree whose roots reach the water.
Instead,
The roots grow deeper still.
The psalmist invites us to become like that tree.
Rooted,
Grounded,
Planted beside living water.
Not untouched by life's winds,
Yet sustained through them.
Perhaps there is a wind moving through your life right now.
A challenge,
A change,
A season of uncertainty or difficulty.
Instead of resisting the wind,
Imagine your roots growing deeper.
Deeper into stillness.
Deeper into trust.
Deeper into the presence of God.
Like roots reaching toward a quiet stream,
Drawing peace,
Strength,
Life.
Strong trees grow under lots of wind.
The wind may bend the branches.
The wind may sway the trees.
Yet the roots drink from the river.
And the soul that remains rooted in God can grow strong in the same way.
And the soul that remains rooted in God can grow strong in the same way.
So for this moment,
Simply rest beside the water.
Rooted.
Grounded.
Like a tree planted by streams of living water.
Thank you for meditating with me today my fellow hearkeners.
As you go about your day and week,
May your roots find the water of life.
And may you stand strong in every wind.
I look forward to guiding you again soon.
And until then,
May grace and peace,
Light and love be with you.
