Ice and Storms

This past week, we suffered a massive ice storm. The trees in the area were covered with ice, power went out, and vehicles were covered. Many trees were damaged, and some were even destroyed. The sheer weight of the ice did its work quite effectivly. There is a massive tree in the back yard of the school that was split down the middle and uprooted by the weight of the ice on it. It got me to thinking about our own Christian life and how we are compared to trees.

As you may know, trees that are shallowly rooted often don't stand up to the weather well. We hear about this all the time. But in an area like the one where we live, there are trees everywhere. These trees don't all need deep roots because their roots mix and the sheer density of the forest saves them from most of the damage of the wind. This is very much like our Christian walk. Groups of Christians can indeed lean on each other and thereby stand against trials and temptations in many situations.

But what about sudden terrible things in our Christian life? Death, serious injury, trauma, or some other disaster? These are more like an ice storm than a windy day. Although wind is common and trees grouped together can weather the storm as a group, iced trees must each bear their own weight. They must rely on their own roots too keep them standing. They may loose branches, or they may fall entirely. They may crack, like the tree in our back yard. Other trees cannot help in this situation, only the roots that the tree has already put down. By the time the ice starts to form it is too late to start worrying about their roots. What has grown has grown and whatever is there is all that is there.

In the same way, some temptations and trials we go through are things that other Christians can help us bear, like windy days for trees. However, there are problems and trials that no other person can help us with. These situations are something that we can bring to God and Him alone. The roots we have in Him are what matter at these times. These roots need to be put down before the ice and storms come. If we wait until they are already there it may be too late. Let us lay our roots now, while we have time.