Roots
Slow and Invisible Growth
Introduction
Trees fascinate me. In the bareness of winter, every branch and twig is visible against a clear sky. What is never visible, but readily apparent when a strong wind blows, is a tree’s extensive and deep root system. I imagine, as I look at the visible tree, an underground root system just as intricate and complex. In this issue of The Adventure of Reflection I contemplate the vital role of developing and having roots.
A Minute of Motivation
Roots Before Flowers
Have you ever heard this expression: “God grant me patience – NOW!”?
We all seem to know that patience is a good quality to have, but few seem willing to take the time to develop it.
Patience is important. Consider the adverse effects of its opposite – impatience. Remember that “Haste makes waste” and “A watched pot never boils.”
We need to make our plans, take action, and then allow enough time for the results to develop. Successful careers take time. Good relationships take time. Beautiful gardens take time to grow.
Plant your seeds and tend them carefully, but allow enough time to establish roots, stems, and leaves before expecting to get any flowers. You will be pleased (and sometimes amazed!) with the results.
And, remember, it takes time to develop patience.
Note. This excerpt, entitled “Patience,” was previously published in Minute Motivators in 1992.
Enjoy Life More
Anchor Each Day
As a new day dawns, it brings hope for wonderful experiences as well as the possibility of difficulty. I have often said, “you never know what a day will bring.” In the evening, when I mark off each day on my calendar, I am grateful if the day has not brought trouble.
No one can control everything that happens in a day, but each of us can be better prepared for it. If strong winds are coming the meteorologists advise tying things down or bringing inside anything that might be blown away. Trees are already prepared: the taller the tree, the deeper the roots.
How deep are your roots? How well are you anchored for the possible storms a day might bring? Speaking metaphorically, it’s impossible to forecast the “weather” ahead each day. What we can do is be ready.
To enjoy life more, anchor each day before heading out into it. Take time to strengthen your roots. Perhaps sit quietly and watch the sun come up. Maybe ponder an inspirational or devotional reading. Have a peaceful conversation with yourself or your God and “tie down” the cords of your spirit.
We never know what a day will bring, but we can be better prepared for it. Enjoy life more by anchoring each day early. If strong winds of trouble come, you will be ready, and less likely to break in a storm.
Faith Corner
“At the scent of water it will begin to grow.” (see Job 14:9)
Two years ago I was teaching the last semester of courses in the beloved program of which I had been a part, first as a student, since 1997. This program had been a source of my professional growth and subsequent professional identity for nearly a quarter of a century. On April 6, 2021, I pondered Job 14:7-9 and wrote about it in a journal. Here is that full entry:
“For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its roots grow old in the earth, and its stump dies in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant.”
Cut down yet having hope, I feel like that tree at work. I have been cut down, I feel very hurt, and I am struggling regarding my future. The growth of the past 20+ years can no longer be a part of my future growth. I didn’t choose this; it feels sudden and tragic.
Yet, struggling in the dark, I try to smell water. Where is my hope of new budding? You, Lord, my Living Water, are my hope of renewed life and renewed purpose.
Lord, help me to rest and just seek You now. The old has gone. Only new hope and growth is possible now. Thank You for allowing me to be cut down. Thank You for creating the possibility of newer, fresh growth in You. I praise You for the cutting down. Thank You for the pain of the cutting down. Help me grow strong and new in You. Thank You for the scent of water. You are that water. You are near. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Postlude: Two days after I wrote that entry, the Lord brought forth the possibility of calling me into the role of congregational president at my home church. As my professional identity at work was being torn down, my leadership identity at church was to be built up. If you are being cut down somewhere, I encourage you to seek Living Water. There is hope for new growth by sending deeper roots. Be still and follow the scent of water.
Poetry Pause
Smelling Water
Thirsty plants,
Dusty soil,
Distant rumbles;
Hope arrives –
The smell of water!
Rain is near.
Thirsty spirits,
Empty lives,
Searching roots,
In the dark –
The smell of hope!
The Lord is near.
Reaching,
Stretching,
Waiting,
Hoping,
Finding,
Receiving
Water –
Living Water.
By Cindy MacGregor, January 25, 2023
Note. I wrote this poem after re-reading a journal entry from April 6, 2021, based on Job 14:7-9. I grew up experiencing, and celebrating, the “smell of rain” when it approached our farm. It was the smell of hope for growing crops whose roots needed moisture.
Old Mom to Young Mom
Encourage Root Development
Modern parents are often caught up in a frantic quest to prepare their children for a competitive, and sometimes cruel, world. What skills will they need? What aptitudes should be developed? What lessons or practices should be scheduled?
With the scurrying about, chasing schedules of various activities, what are parents teaching their children? Does each day begin with a rush to get fed, dressed, and out the door? Does each day end with a push to grab dinner, do activities and homework, and collapse into bed?
Wise parenting is a balance of wing and root development. Providing opportunities to develop talents and skills is part of wing development. But what about encouraging root development?
Children grow roots by being anchored spiritually, intrapersonally, and interpersonally. Strong children are able to be alone and to pray. Healthy children can spend time with loved ones, doing almost nothing. Well-adjusted children are introspective, able to experience their inner world of thoughts and feelings. Root development only happens when running around isn’t happening.
As an old mom to young parents, I encourage you to limit the restlessness of the schedule you build with and for your children. Make sure there are times to sit at the table together during meals and just talk. Put a jigsaw puzzle together. Go fishing with your child. Take a walk with them. Pray with them at the end of the day. You cannot protect your child from the storms of life that lie ahead, but you can prepare them by encouraging strong roots.
Dear Dr. Mac
Hi Dr. Mac,
I am starting to put a new quote on my mirror. I wrote down this one for next week. Thanks for your wisdom!
“worry is a wasted activity” – Dr. Mac
Best,
Laura
Dear Laura,
Thanks for writing! My words echoed back to me were helpful. I, too, need to be reminded not to worry. These pesky mental habits are like little bugs – they always seem to come back and need to be squashed again and again.
Be well,
Dr. Mac
Marci wrote in response to Fog: “I love the focus on trust … in the unknown.” Thanks, Marci; I enjoy having you as one of my readers!
To My Readers,
If you would like to hear what I think about something or share your thoughts, please send an email to: drcjmacgregor@outlook.com; I will respond via email or in this section of a future newsletter, or both. I hope to hear from you!
You can find all my previous posts at https://cindymacgregor.substack.com/archive