But then, I realized while I am readying all the material things for my trip, am I spending time readying the spiritual things? Am I really prepared to open myself up for God to use me in whatever way He sees fit? If I am not allowing Him to use me here at home, can I expect to be ready to be used in Thailand? Just as I need to walk and exercise my body to make sure I am in good shape for the journey, I need to prepare myself spiritually. How exactly do I do that? I heard a song on the radio the other day for the first time by Casting Crowns. The words really moved and inspired me, so I decided to take this on as my mantra, you might say, as I prepare for the next phase of my journey. The song is called "Thrive"
"Here in this worn and weary land So living water flowing through
Where many a dream has died God, we thirst for more of you
Like a tree planted by the water Fill our hearts and flood our souls
We never will run dry. With one desire
Just to know You and to make You known
We lift Your name on high
Shine like the sun, make darkness run and hide
We know we were made for so much more than ordinary lives
It's time for us to more than just survive.
We were made to thrive.
Into Your word, we're digging deep
To know our Father's heart
Into the world, we're reaching out
To show them who You are.
Joy unspeakable, faith unsinkable
Love unstoppable, anything is possible"
The other day in my Sunday School class we were talking about being rooted and grounded in our
faith so we would be able to stand firm when storms come and the point was made that a tree's roots spread out as wide as the tree's limbs and branches. I had never thought about that, but think about a pine tree, its roots go down, not out, just as the tree itself mostly goes up and not out. To contrast that, think of the oak tree, the roots spread far and wide just as the branches spread out to provide wonderful shade. The reference in the song to a tree planted by the water can be linked to verses found in the Old Testament. Jeremiah 17:7-8 says:
Blessed is the man who trusts in The Lord, and whose hope is in The Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots
by the river, and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaf will be green,
and will not be anxious in the year of the drought, nor will cease from yielding
fruit. NKJV
So I began to wonder what kind of tree am I? Do my roots of faith spread wide? When the drought comes will I cease to yield fruit or will I thrive? The truth is, I can't survive on my own. Without water and nourishment, any tree will grow weak and will not survive a strong storm.. Those whose roots are shallow will be blown over by the weakest of winds. Those that grow straight up tall and narrow will not survive a storm but will bend whatever way the wind blows.
Then there are those who can't figure out which way they want to go. They let obstacles get in their way and keep changing direction in life. They don't grow strong because they are so focused on following the crowd and going down different paths that they become confused and weakened. Some may start out strong, but go astray. Eventually they get back on track and go the right way, but they are never all they could have been had they not gone astray. But those whose roots go deep and wide and are nourished by living water will not only survive, they will thrive. The living water is only found in Jesus Christ and we are nourished by the study of His Word. This tree is said to be one of the oldest living trees in the world. It allegedly over two
thousand years old which means it would have been around when Jesus was alive. It is in Shallotte, North Carolina in a small neighborhood in the front yard of an unassuming house. You can see how massive it's trunk is and it's limbs stretch across the entire roadway. I can't even imagine the root system this tree has.
In order to see this tree, you have to stray from the beaten path. In other words, you have to seek it out. When I heard about the tree, I knew I had to find it so I could see it for myself. I searched on my own, using directions someone gave me, but they weren't clear and I ended up getting lost, I gave up and went home.
But then, someone who knew the way said, follow me. I will show you the way. So I followed and look what I found. It was well worth the journey to find this amazing tree that God planted by the water. A river is runs very near this property. Just as it is well worth they journey to find God. Sometimes we have to allow others who know the way lead us to Him. Sometimes, we need to be the one to lead the way.
So, if I want to prepare myself to survive this journey not only to Thailand, but this journey of life, I must nourish myself with The Word. I must drink of The Living Water only God can provide. If I want my life to count for something, I must trust in Him for my every need. I need to be sure to set aside time each day to strengthen myself by studying His Word and saturate my life with prayer. I must let His light shine through me to be a beacon in a world engulfed in storms. I need to let my roots grow deep so when the storms of life come, I will stand strong like the tree planted by the water. I don't want to just survive, I want to thrive.
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