A Plant Story: Roots
Posted on 08. Jun, 2010 by Angie Wyatt in Blog
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What can plants teach us about Spiritual Wellness? I posed this question my post A Plant Story. Recently, my husband and I repotted our three indoor plants. The plants served as a metaphor for my life.
The last plant we repotted looked the healthiest with green, spritely leaves. Despite its appearance, it simply wasn’t growing. I dug around the plant, lightly loosening the soil from its grip. Then, I tugged slightly on the plant. It should have given me some resistance. Instead, it just popped right out of the soil.
The plant came loose of the pot instantly. The plant roots were in a tight rectangular shape. Its root system was ingrown and wrapping around itself. The roots had not attached to the soil in the pot. I slowly began to loosen the roots. I unwrapped, cut and detangled the roots before gently embedding them in fresh soil. Just a few weeks later, the plant was thriving.
Rooted in Spiritual Wellness
The Bible talks about being rooted and grounded in God’s love. (Eph 3:19) Our spirituality has roots. These spiritual roots stabilize us in the midst of trials. When grounded in God’s love, our spiritual roots nourish and strengthen our souls.
Too often, our spiritual roots grow inward. We become self-sufficient. We try to find strength from within our self. When we do this, we may look okay on the outside when we’re suffocating on the inside. We cannot nourish our own soul. Only God can do this for us.
Are you rooted in self-sufficiency, or are you rooted in God’s love? Where are your spiritual roots? Share your thoughts and encourage us.
6 Responses to “A Plant Story: Roots”
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Rose
13. Jul, 2010
When the plants are in the wrong pot or soil they can’t grow. Likewise with us humans. Wrong environment and wrong atmosphere we die like a plant. God and Jesus loves us no matter what we are doing, good or wrong. We should love compassionate and with respect our fellow men Blessings, Rose
Jan-Michael
13. Jul, 2010
Before I say where I am now I have to say how like your plants I had become once:
All went well in early years, my upbringing having given me a strong work ethic and strong faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I loved my Bible and working from age 13 every summer at a hotel, giving some money back to my father who fell ill for awhile, whatever went wrong, I knew it was going to be good in the end….then
2) becoming successful in business and with a family, I became, as the ‘EVERYDAY LIFE with Robert A Schuller’ episode character said, “I guess you could say I’m more spiritual now”, and like that character, I too had moved from another city, leaving friends and family seemingly to make a better life for all….and
3) in both the having Faith that all would turn out well in the end and in moving for a better life, those were true on the surface, but like your plant with healthy leaves, my roots were becoming bundled up with nowhere to connect well or grow deeper for the inevitable drought!
We were living away from family and while we moved West, when others moved, it was to the East. Friends who just as we, had moved west, well they kept moving and we all lost touch. Couples and their kids all broke down so for 20 years we all lost touch completely…but HE had a plan…
“Coincidences” (God’s miracles) led to friends finding that we were a couple that stayed together and stayed in the same house for 35 years and we had found our way back to HIM, in large part through both the tragedies and blessings that happen in life.
Our roots were well grounded again through working at reconnecting and renewing our Faith and re-reading the early successful chapters of our lives. The family, friends and we, returned to leaning into God and doing so together for even greater strength.
And now we are all so much more in Love with Jesus and feel His love everyday and see Him in eachother…..
my leaves are greener, my branches are sronger and my roots reach deep into the Heavenly Earth!
Jan-Michael
Crysadill
13. Jul, 2010
My parents were married in 1930. Dad built a log house On 1/2 section of land in Alberta. We went through the depression. We watch a hail storm wipe out our wheat fields that were just about ready to harvest. If they had not had their trust in the Lord and the patienats. to wait and try again next year. We would have lost the farm. It just meant that we canned everything we could find. Our meat vegtables and wild berries.
and if we needed anything from the town store it would go on credit. So like the plant waited till next year. the plant is waiting PATIENCLy till someone repots and spreads its roots. And gives it food if it is in a pot. If it is put in the garden and the soil is good . Which God has provided usally what it needs is in the soil . So we learn fron the potted plant. Patatience, the will to live and try to keep ourselves looking the best we can. We learn trust. That who ever put me in this pot will contually look after me so I can in return give back beauty or food to them.
My roots are rooted in Gods love and trust. Knowing he will provide for me in bad times and good times. And I will share my love for him wether it is with my plants or with my family and friends or who ever needs my help and love.
God Bless You All
Cysradill
Angie
13. Jul, 2010
J-M & Crysadill, Thank you for sharing your personal stories. I love the life application you provide. Angie
Jan-Michael
13. Jul, 2010
When I share a spiritual Blessing (I used to hold the thoughts, feeling intimidated that I might offend a person who did not like things “spiritual”)I feel exhilerated to bear witness to His blessing in my(our) lives. I find, even if the person says something negative I do not feel affronted but sense it was good and honest and appropriate of me to speak my Blessed experience. I feel a need to silently pray for that person who gave me “the cold shoulder” response. I pray they will have some positive feeling from what I shared. Often that person at a future encounter is more gentle spirited and less negative or even shares some good thing that happened in their life.
I have learned I should share my happiness at closeness to God and not in a way to try to “convert” someone but to let His spirit flow through me and trust it will be good. It is not my purpose to always try to protect myself or others from what may be negative due to the other person’s upbringing or bad spiritual past. I have to do what I feel a need to share as positively as I can. That is all I can do unless the other person asks for something else to continue the conversation.
His blessed experiences can be a light for us and may or not shine onto others but we should never “hide the light under a bushel”!
J-M
crysadill
13. Jul, 2010
I beleive plants have feelings. I talk to my all the time. As we nourish and revitalize our plants and trees . They can do the same for us. Working in the soil repotting in a pot or transplanting plants in a garden. We are helping them . There are tree Dr’s when trees and shubs need help In turn they give us beauty and food. And help our soul. I think this is what God planned . As he put everything on this earth to be usefull and helpfull to each other. Wether it is person,plants trees. or animal , insects or birds . We can provided for each other. What a blessing. Plants can heal our wounds . we have left that way and now we depend on most things man made. We depend on pills to heal and some even have plastic flowers and artificial trees. I find it very hard to feel God and his beauty unless it is real. One tiny little mustard seed can grow into a big strong tree. And if you have the faith of a small mustard seed nothing will be impossible for You . Now I think that is spirital.
God Bless Everyone
Cysradill