Roots that Reach Deep

So I was walking Dusty round the wet walk at Crathes Castle this morning. The burns (streams) were in spate, raging waters roiling and boiling over rocks and bursting banks. I let Dusty wade into what is usually the bank – no way would I trust her to have the strength to get out of the fast-flowing burns.

We walked on and soon encountered tiger tape (yellow and black stripes) blocking the way forward and directing us on a detour round recent storm damage. In other words, uprooted titans of trees lying desolate and dying across the forest floors, having crashed into and splintered many other giants of the forest. 

We were directed to detour, but of course Dusty skipped neatly below the blockading tape, ignorant of its implications. When she finally found her way blocked, she bounded cross country to meet me on the other path. Her detour was not my detour.

On we went. Past the castle. Past many another dog and his/her walker. Through the car park and plunging back into the moody wood, a gathering of trees which seem both mysterious and gloomy. 

And soon, there was another giant of the forest, down. A wind of unimaginable vicious strength had obviously overcome the web of roots spread just below the surface and toppled this tree, which took its matted roots with it. And that matting of roots stood taller than me – maybe seven or eight feet tall. 

How did that happen? Here was a tree, growing healthy and strong, with a network of roots anchoring it to the soil. Or, apparently anchoring it to the ground, but actually being too shallow to be much good in the onslaught of a major windstorm.

Of course the application is obvious. How many of us look strong, even beautiful, and think that we have an adequate grounding of rootwork – perhaps networks of friends or church family – and we are lacking the taproot firmly sunk into Jesus? 

Ouch – sounds painful for Jesus – but he counsels us to ‘abide’ in him. Outside of him we don’t stand a chance. We’ll be felled one day by a fierce wind, left to wither on the wintry ground.