Embrace Worship: Roots

Our Georgia backyard is dotted with trees. Towering trees, averaging fifty feet tall! When storms blow in, these trees don’t just sway. They bend. Back and forth, their trunks lean toward the earth, then bounce back the other way like a hold-your-breath kind of highwire dance. We can hardly watch for fear they’ll plop right out of the soil and onto our house!

During our stormy spring season, a friend cited a little known fact about the way wind puts stress on trees, causing the tree’s roots to dig deeper. Not only did that help me feel a little less worried about all the trees behind our house, but it ignited a revelation about our spiritual lives.

If we cling to Christ when the stresses of life try to knock us over, not only will our roots hold strong but they will grow deeper in Him! Add to that the truth of God’s love for us, and we find stable, sustaining soil to root ourselves in. And this impacts everything about our faith lives, including our worship.

Seeing Roots

One night a few years ago, I sat in my usual spot, diving into a much longed-for Bible study about the Holy Spirit by Carolyn Moore when I read her words, “Paul says we see things differently when the Spirit controls our minds.”¹ 

With that statement swirling through my thoughts, I read the questions Carolyn posed:

• Where is your head? Where is your heart? 
• Are they rooted in your needs, in your sin, in your weakness? 
• Or are they rooted in the things of God?¹ 

And before I could put pen to paper, I was overcome by Holy Spirit. I knew these were questions God wanted me to lean into. So, I closed my eyes, processed her words, and tried to identify what I was rooted in. 

Without warning, a vision as clear as a dream appeared behind my closed eyelids. A hand reached down toward a large potted plant, took hold of it, and pulled. With a gentle firmness, the hand removed the plant – roots and all – then moved toward a second pot full of dirt and hovered above it. 

Just as I began to wonder, What does this mean? God whispered to my soul, “Shelley, you are rooted in fear. I want you rooted in my love.”

My eyes flew open; I knew the truth of what I’d just experienced. I felt the kindness and love with which God had spoken. And everything in me wanted to uproot myself out of that soil of fear and plant myself in God’s love. 

But how?

Digging Up Roots

Not knowing how to uproot and replant myself, I began asking God to show me. And He responded. I began finding the word ‘roots’ in Scripture and books I had never noticed before. And I did a little research on how actual plant roots work.

As a seed nestles into the dark soil, a work of wonder happens. The water and nutrients bring the dead seed back to life! And roots shoot out of it, digging deeper and deeper in search of more water and food. Above ground, nothing can be seen, but in the hidden place, roots are spreading, absorbing, and preparing the coming plant’s source of strength, sustenance, and stability.

We can visualize how this translates for us spiritually. The roots of our lives sprout in the soil in which we’re planted, take-in the nutrients around us, and feed us – heart, mind, and soul.

It startles me to consider Carolyn’s original question in this context. What are we rooted in?

If we are rooted, as I have been, in something other than God’s love, then we are nourished by it. For much of my adult life, it’s been fear – often masked as worry or dread. As my starving soul stretched into the soil of fear, tainted water absorbed through my roots and into my heart and mind. Fear fed my fear. 

Identifying where we are planted not only gives us understanding but fuel to break free from its faith-killing grip.

What are you rooted in?

Uprooting and Replanting

Friends, imagine with me what happens to our worship if we’re rooted in something other than God’s love. When fear flows through me by way of my roots, fear is what flows out of me – even as I worship. 

• Fear shifts my gaze from God to self, so my ‘worship’ becomes self-serving. 
• Fear produces inner chaos, so my ‘worship’ is fragmented, restless, impatient. 
• Fear displaces trust, so my ‘worship’ drips with doubt. 

I’m certain that no matter what soil we find ourselves planted in – shame, guilt, regret, unworthiness, unforgiveness, pride – we would come up with a similar unholy list. 

I’m equally confident that we can, with the help of Holy Spirit, uproot ourselves out of the muck and replant ourselves in God’s love. Paul encourages us:

“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 3:17b-19

Paul prays with the assumption that we are rooted in God’s love – because he knows that when we are rooted in God’s love, we are fed by God’s power. And that power flows to our hearts and minds, giving us a more-than-natural ability to grasp the love God has for us. That’s when we start to see how far beyond God’s love is from anything we’ve ever known or experienced on earth. As we begin to understand this love of Christ flowing through us, we awaken to our rooted reality: We are filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Or, as the NLT says, “Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (v.19). This is what Jesus lived and died for! This is the life He intended for us!

Deepening Roots in Love

My relief at learning that our excessively, beautifully tall trees grow deep roots has brought to mind more than once Jesus’ Parable of the Sower. Within the story of a farmer planting seeds, Jesus offers a lesson on roots:

“Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. …The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.”

Mark 4:5-6, 16-17

Shallow root syndrome – the reality of seeds that sprout roots overnight but die just as quickly because the roots aren’t deep enough to sustain droughts and heat. 

Spiritually speaking, we humans can genuinely get excited about finding Jesus, hearing His Word, and feeling His love. But if we stop there, our roots barely go beyond the surface of this life in Christ. As a result, when the storms throw us off course, we step away. We bow out. Our faith shrivels until it dies.

To live the abundant life Jesus desires for us (John 10:10), we must learn how to grow deep roots in the love of God. And it begins with inviting the Spirit of God to help us dig deeply into the Word of God. In Scripture we get to know God and His heart for us, we get to see in Jesus what it looks like to live this life of faith on earth, and we get to differentiate this love of God from all the world’s ‘loves’. 

It’s also where we get clarity on what God’s love is like:

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel.
[Love] takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back
But keeps going to the end.  

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 MSG

When we grow our roots deeply in this holy, godly love, we become living creatures made of such love. Our worship embodies such love. Our lives reflect and give such love.

Paul understood this love – the sustenance that comes from it, the power that dwells in it, and the fruit that will burst forth from it. He knew the cyclical truth that the more we absorb the love of God, the more His love will flow through us, and the deeper our roots will grow – which gives us more love… All the while our faith grows stronger. And so do we. 

Which is why Paul could so wholeheartedly preach that absolutely nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed (or rooted) in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39 NLT, my addition).

Going Deeper Still

In her book, Chasing Vines, Beth Moore continues painting a picture of rootedness for us:

“Healthy, sustainable growth and immense fruit-bearing feed from a single source: knowing we are immeasurably, immutably loved by Christ. When this truth is more deeply rooted than any other belief we hold, even the fiercest tempest won’t be able to rip us from the ground. Our leaves may be frayed and our branches bent, but our roots will hold fast. ”² 

When our roots are planted in the soil of God’s love, we grow, bear fruit, and remain firm. But, did you notice her qualifier? When this truth is more deeply rooted than any other belief we hold… 

What is your most deeply rooted belief?² 

This question, when considered with the Spirit’s guidance and a sincere heart, has the potential to cast light on what soil we’re actually rooted in.

Friends, it’s imperative we begin the work alongside Holy Spirit of recognizing what soil we’re planted in. As we identify the false beliefs we embrace, the experiences that define our understanding of God, and the inner motivations of our hearts, our eyes open to the realities of our faith lives, and a great transformation begins: 

• We recognize that we’ve moved away from God – maybe still believing in Him but no longer believing Him for who He is and what He promises.
• We observe the reality of our fruit-bearing – it’s either non-existent, full of worms, or rotten to the core.
• We begin seeing as Holy Spirit sees, and our hearts start longing for what God wants.
• We start the process of uprooting ourselves out of the soils that have fed us lies and junk food. 
• We replant ourselves in the good, holy, nutrient-rich soil of God’s love.
• We are filled with a strength and hope, a joy and love we’ve never known before.

And when we are so attuned to our Source of love, we are moved so deeply that the only response is to love Him back.

Deep roots in the love of Christ anchor us securely – like a plant with a large taproot. The winds of life blow, and we bend, but we remain secure in His love rather than being blown about like a dry Texas tumbleweed. In fact, those gusts strengthen our roots, deepen our faith, and widen our trust of God. We experience His love with ever-increasing volume, compelling us to dig deeper until God’s love becomes the overflow of our hearts – the very thing we pour out to Him.

This is worship.

Holy Spirit, we invite You to move into the deeper parts of our inner selves so that You might help us identify what soils we’ve planted ourselves in. Give us eyes to see the state of our hearts and the quality of our fruit. Pour into us the wisdom we need to see what feeds us, then grant us the courage and the strength to release the death-grip we have on that tainted soil. Father God, we join You in the movement, in the uprooting of our spiritual roots – and in the replanting of ourselves into the soil of your holy, perfect love. We long to live sourced by your love instead of our broken ideas, experiences, and assumptions. Lord Jesus, how we thank You for demonstrating just how BIG God’s love is for us – that He would send His only Son to live and die for us! There is no greater love than to lay down a life for others. We have no room to doubt your love for us; You have already proven how sincerely you love. So when the next storm blows in, Jesus, we are digging our roots deeper in You. And we know that we will only be made stronger by your love. In your holy name we pray, amen.
(inspired by Ephesians 3:17-19; John 14:26, 16:13; Romans 8:11; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 3:16, 4:18; John 3:16, 15:13; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Resources: I love sharing with you the books, podcasts, articles, and anything else that has inspired, encouraged, or taught me. These are humble offerings with no expectations.

• 1 – Carolyn Moore’s Bible study, Encountering the Spirit^ is packed with biblical truths about Holy Spirit – who He is, how He works, and how we might encounter Him more regularly. NOTE: It’s probably important to say that Holy Spirit is not a controlling entity. He is not a brain-washer or puppet-master. He does, however, respond when we invite Him into our hearts and minds, asking for His guidance. And when we give Him the reins, we begin to see ourselves, other people, and the world through His eyes. 
• 2 – I read Beth Moore’s book, Chasing Vines,^ in 2020, and it dropped so many revelations into my heart and mind that I often squeaked, spoke, and shouted as I read each evening. (Luckily, my husband didn’t get too worried. LOL.) Perhaps her pointed questions about our false beliefs were some of the most pivotal. Beth says, “We can’t just assume our roots are anchored in the right place. All sorts of competing beliefs vie for that coveted spot” (p.200).
  • Here’s an example from Beth’s book of a false belief Christians can mistakenly root themselves in: “I believe in love. I believe love saves” (p.203). Beth responds, “Yes, but whose love? Or is this about love in general? Faith in love for loves’ sake is a universal winner on social media, but it’s pathetically impotent to anchor a person through basic upheaval, to say nothing of an earthquake.”
    
    She goes on, “Let’s say the belief in love is not general. Let’s say the deepest part of your belief system resides in the love of family or, more specifically, a parent, a spouse, a child, a sibling, or a friend.” All of these are really good, but “what happens when a parent grows old? Or a child grows up? Or a friend grows cold? Or a spouse dies?”
    
    There is only one love that never lets go. That is never wrong. That never ever leaves – God’s love.
• One of the songs on our Embrace Worship Spotify playlist is recorded by Grace Zeller at White’s Chapel in Southlake, TX — the church we were part of for a couple years before we moved to Georgia. “God Is Love” was originally written and released by Katy Nichole, but there is something so special about hearing Grace sing it. I was excited to include it on our playlist, and it’s the perfect fit for this week:
  • How great this love
    Oh, it’s moving all my mountains
    This perfect love, it’s casting out my fear
    How great this love
    Oh, it welcomes me like family
    And anywhere I go, it meets me there
• Each Wednesday I upload a “Teacup” teaching video that carries on the topic here. You can find all the videos on my Facebook Author Page, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Many of you have already found me on Substack! Thank you so much! While you’re on Substack, check out the ministry I’m blessed to be part of, the Devoted Collective. And, if you’d rather listen to these weekly posts, you can now do so on Substack — it’s easy to see and use the audio bar across the top of each post.
• My monthly newsletter, The Abiding Life, goes to email inboxes of those who have subscribed on my website, and I post them on Substack — usually within the first week of the month. My most recent edition can be found there, and you can subscribe for future newsletters on Substack, here.

Rhythms: As my newsletter’s title infers, we seek to develop an abiding life in this space — a place where we can get informed but also be transformed as we learn to abide in God’s presence throughout our days. I like to think that developing rhythms is one way to aid us in our desire to become more Christlike. These next three months we’re focusing on the rhythm of worship (surprise!).

• This week we are highlighting and ‘tabbing’ a section in our Prayer Bibles: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Each week this summer we’re marking significant passages about worship so that we can find them easily, put them to memory, and apply them in our abiding lives. These are words we can pray with a little personalization. They can also become words of reverence-filled worship. I have to say 1 Corinthians 13 keeps making an appearance in my life this year. I didn’t go into this week specifically to bring this passage into our worship conversation — but WOW does it ever help us keep the brand of love God extends toward us in our sights. It hands us the agape love we, then, pour out to God in worship! As well as to those around us.
• We’re all called to share the truths about the work of Jesus. One way you can do that is by sharing this site and telling others your own stories of faith experiences. Believe it or not, we worship God each time we share our stories of faith! We use our whole selves to tell about our holy God!!

Featured Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash. “All the Bits and Pieces” photo by Aleksandra Sapozhnikova on Unsplash.
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