Rooted & Abiding

Written by Stacy Wooten

Something happens to me in springtime that makes me want to buy plants. Despite my better instincts and memories of my house turning into a plant hospice in years past, I come home laden with greenery and optimism. This year is no exception, so I’ve been thinking about how to make plants grow and recognizing just how little control I have over the process. I’m finding there are many spiritual parallels.

I identify strongly with the personality of Martha in Luke 10:38-42. It’s hard for me to rest; I want to work, to “do”, to feel like I have control. The thought of sitting and listening to Jesus feels hard for me to justify while there are tasks to knock off the list. I often end up burned out and tired, wondering why life feels so exhausting.

But when Psalm 1:1-3 describes what is looks like to live the blessed life, the psalmist says, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” When the Scripture looks for a picture of a righteous life–one enjoying the good way that God ordered us to live–it doesn’t point to an industrious bee or a saint tirelessly doing good deeds, but rather a tree. What can a tree do to be fruitful and flourishing, to be successful? A tree doesn’t “try hard” to make fruit, but rather it produces when it's being fed by a source of life. Again, this passage points to the blessed life as one of delight and meditation on the Lord, instead of pointing to a person’s efforts. God designed us to produce fruit out of a life of joy and recognition of His character. 

The Bible often describes this concept of being “planted” in the Lord as “abiding”. In John 15:4-5, Jesus also uses a plant metaphor when He says to His disciples, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” If we are not rooted and abiding in Christ as we seek to serve and grow, we end up parched and withered, like a plant trying to get water from sandy desert soil. If I’m not abiding in the Lord in my parenting, in serving, in the work He’s given me, it’s going to show in the fruit I produce–speaking sharply to my family, growing bitter and discontent, trying to control the scenarios around me, or letting anxiety consume my thoughts.

So, what does it look like practically to abide in God? Psalm 1 points to delighting in and meditating on God’s word. We see Mary slowing down, laying aside her tasks and burdens, to listen to Jesus. We, too, can slow down and listen to His word, giving space for prayer and listening to how God is speaking to us. Abiding starts with remembering who God is and that our own stories are just a part of His larger love and purpose for the world. It means not trusting in our own efforts in life, but surrendering our will, our work, our successes and failures to the Lord and trusting in His goodness. It means finding peace in Him and practicing Sabbath rest, believing in His provision of our needs and desires. Ultimately, the blessed life, one abiding in Christ, is overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5: 22-23). 

Abiding begins and ends with remembering that our work is just participating in what God has already started, and that He is the one who makes our contributions actually meaningful, helpful, or fruitful. Psalm 127: 1-2 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” When we abide in Christ, when we rest in His good works and His working through us, we enter into rest. Not a fruitless rest or a “I give up, I’m just going to fall on the couch and watch Netflix” rest, but the waiting rest of a plant connected to the true source of life, trusting in the Gardener who nourishes and prunes and grows the seed. May we find that same rest as we live like the trees of Psalm 1, rooted and abiding in Him.