Summer: Let Your Roots Grow Down

Spring has come, and summer is following so close ...

And here where I write this, the warm days 

of summer have already arrived.

All around me, the joy and the activity of summer has come.

And though I am grown, I am still like a child -

bursting with excitement and anticipation for summer ...

The outdoors, the beauty, the activity of summer call me.

And home projects, and also the possibilities of more carefree days

beckon me, as well, for there is much that I love about summer.

But I am also taking my cues from what I see all around me.

Summer is a season for growth; it is bursting all through our yard.

We're planting flowers, and more flowers - in our patio planters,

and in our flower gardens, filling every spot that we can.

And we are planting in our veggie garden ... tomatoes, peppers, 

green beans, even some potatoes. And this year,

some pots of herbs as well ... basil, rosemary, parsley.

There is no end to what we can plant, and what we can watch grow.

And maybe, in all the fun and activity of summer,

we should learn, and we should follow the pattern 

of what we see all around us.

In all the excitement of vacations, of family, 

of work and of play ...

we can choose to rest our hearts, and to listen to His voice, 

to read His Words,and to let our roots grow down 

deeper than ever before. 

Let your roots grow down into Him,

and let your lives be built on Him.

Then your faith will grow strong

in the truth you were taught,

and you will overflow with thankfulness.

(Colossians 2:7)

May I be as the flowers on our patio, in our flower gardens,

the herbs - freshly potted this week, the plants in our veggie garden ...

may I rest, may I soak up the Son, may I listen closely to Him;

may this be my highest priority, my highest calling.

As the flowers grow and bloom, and the herbs and veggies produce,

may my heart be growing deeper in You, and may Your love

overflow from my heart - through my words, through my actions.

May this be a summer of growth as our roots grow deeper in You.

"Lord, let Your Word be not merely something I believe

but something that dwells richly inside me,

so it reshapes all my thinking and feelings,

and even the very foundations of my heart."

(Tim Keller)