How trusting keeps us green.

There are currently way too many options of things to worry about! I feel tempted to become fearful or anxious in conversations I have, news articles I read, in relationships, work, family, etc. When I feel anxious, I tend to try to seek control. The problem is, most of us have way less control than we think! 

God offers an invitation to another way…Let’s check out Jeremiah 17:5-8.

“This is what the Lord says: 

Cursed is the one who trusts in man, 

who depends on flesh for his strength 

And whose heart turns away from the Lord. 

He will be like a bush in the wastelands; 

He will not see prosperity when it comes 

He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, 

in a salt land where no one lives.  

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in Him. 

He will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream. 

It does not fear when heat comes; 

Its leaves are always green. 

It has no worries in a year of drought

And never fails to bear fruit.”

Which are you? Are you a tree planted with roots dipped into a stream, not afraid when heat comes, and has no worries in a year of drought?  Or are you a tree trusting in its own strength, seeking water in the desert… Extending your roots in every direction looking for water, yet never feeling fully quenched. 

If you are like me, the temptation to trust in myself, to fear and worry is unbelievably enticing. Yet Jesus says “who of you by worrying can add a single day to your life.? Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Luke 12:25 

Ultimately, I see Jesus’ point (He's a smart guy!). If I'm honest, most of what I worry about I can’t ultimately control and worry wont actually change anything. The only thing all my worrying does is distract me from being present in the moment where I actually do have some control. 

In the present moment we can control two things: 

1. Do I trust in the Lord? (plant myself by a stream)

2. Do I continue to trust in the Lord? (continue to send my roots into the stream, or uproot ourselves and seek to find water ourselves) 

The Lord invites us to trust. Trusting is not merely the absence of “worry or fear,” trust is an active and continuous process of “sending roots into the stream.”

We can trust and send out our roots in three different ways:  

1. Time. Making space to connect to God without distraction, through a wide variety of avenues (prayer, worship, reading scripture, silence and solitude, contemplation, time in nature, etc..) To give God time also means saying “no” to all the useful and not so useful ways I spend my time. Direct time spent in connection with God is one clear way to exercise trust. 

2. Prayer. When faced with the temptation to fear, redirecting that fear towards a deepening and strengthening of roots towards the stream. Tell God the truth! And use it to deepen connection.  

   
   

3. Reflection/Transformation. Working towards growing more and more into a person of love as we bump into other people (relationships, grocery store, family, etc..) If you’re truly aimed at becoming more and more a person of love, and spend time with others, it will quickly realize our need for God, which will send us back to prayer. 

What could this trust look like on a random Tuesday?  

1. Time. I say no to the extra screen time Monday night, (the show, instagram, the news/sports article, the random text messages) and get to bed a bit earlier so that I"m able to wake up earlier on Tuesday morning, before everyone else and have time with God.  

 2. Prayer. Instead of falling into the temptation of worrying or fearing Josie’s relationship, I turn towards God, tell the truth and engage in a relationship with Him, sending out my roots deeper into the stream.

It might sound like this… 

• “God, I desire for Josie (my eight year old daughter) to have deep and meaningful relationships. Show me how to support her or guide her towards those. Help me to trust that you care more about Josie than I do, and forgive me for where I don’t trust.” 

• “Jesus, " you say, “let the little children come to me.” I pray that Josie will come to You, and Your relationship with her would be a major part of her life. I pray that obstacles will be removed, and that You will embrace her with open arms and she will be overwhelmed by Your continuous love.” 

•  “God, what do you want me to know and what do you want me to do in regards to Josie and relationships?”  

  
  

3. Reflection/Transformation. Engaging with God in the big and small moments as I live my day to day life. Either in the moment “Holy Spirit help! I have no patience, I need Yours!!! Holy Spirit, give me Your peace and patience as I work to love and care for my kids and interact with my husband.”  Or in reflection:  “Lord show me to rough edges that need to be changed so that I can become more and more a person of love.” “Lord help me to offer forgiveness to those who hurt me, or make “bad choices” or live in a way I disagree with, just as you offer me forgiveness. Help me to transform more and more into a person of love. Show me what that looks like in my relationship with my husband, my kids, my friends.” 

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in Him. 

He will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream. 

It does not fear when heat comes; 

Its leaves are always green. 

It has no worries in a year of drought

And never fails to bear fruit.”

May we be a people who send our roots deeper and deeper into the stream. May we be a people who use all the challenges each day to turn towards God, and as we do, may we transform from fickle plants who spin in fear and worry into an evergreen forest who lives and thrives with peace. 

-Annika