Uprooted

Do you notice something wrong with this tree? It grew on the side of our hill for years. It was a Sweet Sixteen apple tree. One night a storm blew through our area and the tree fell over. It was uprooted.

Have you ever been uprooted? Maybe everything is going great, life is good. Or maybe something just happened to disturb your peace and growth. Maybe someone you loved has gone. Maybe you don't feel like God cares about all of your cries for help. Maybe you are in a difficult position and don't know where to go or what to do.

When I started thinking about writing this post I wondered if I have room to speak because I couldn't think of a specific time when I was "uprooted". Then I realized: there are so many ways of being uprooted.

When my siblings all either married or moved away to teach school, it was rough. I always had my older brothers to talk with, joke with, or play games with. I always had my sister to look up to. To catch etiquette cues, to be her shadow when I felt uncomfortable. Then within three years all four of them had gone.

When I was fourteen and struggling with my identity in Christ, my brother and I were in a car accident. As we hit the semi and the air bags blew into my face, I was terrified. "I'm not ready to die!" I thought.

When my mom came running into the library and told me that something was wrong with my grandpa, it didn't feel like it could be happening. I cried with Mom and Grandma as the paramedics tried to resuscitate Grandpa's lifeless body.

Each of these experiences made me think seriously about life. Where do I belong? What am I supposed to be doing, feeling? What is actually important in life? And with each experience, I also had a choice: was I going to become a victim of my circumstances, or a victor? Too often my thought patterns turned towards the victim mentality. I was the only one in my group of friends that these things were happening to. No one would quite understand what I was going through. On and on I would come up with excuses for being the way I was.

Each time I went through something hard, God helped me through it. There is no way I could have come through these things with victory if I didn't have Christ. He is the expert Gardner. He is the only One that can replant our uprooted lives.

These are some of the painful things I have experienced. You have your own story. You know when you have been uprooted, maybe it's even right now. I want you to know that there is hope to be back in solid ground. God is waiting for your call.

I don't know who is reading this, but please remember there are people who love you, and there is a God Who will never fail you. I will be praying for you, whoever you are.