LAYING DOWN ROOTS

I want to talk to you guys about roots – weird I know but that’s where we’re at today. The very day lockdown in the UK was announced I moved out from my parents into a new house, just me no one else. I needed a quiet space to study which wasn’t available and with working part-time in the hospital it seemed like a good idea. Being in my own space has opened up such a great routine to be with God, He is my daily rhythm and routine and it has also opened up space for me to do whatever my hearts desires. There’s so much opportunity in this time of open, unscheduled space to find out more about yourself and who God has made you to be; everything from your purpose on this earth to what you really like and enjoy. If you don’t know me, my friends can testify that I’m the “earthy” one, the “tree-hugger” the “will take that coke can out of the blue bin and put it in the green bin” kinda chick. I’ll just say it. I love the environment. I love this planet and the beauty of God’s creation and I believe that as Christians we fundamentally have a responsibility to lead the way in the protection of creation – the natural world and all who live in it. But before I get carried away with myself and tell you all how you can reduce your plastic use let me get back to roots.

I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who dislikes the outdoors or nature – especially not at the time we currently find ourselves. One of the first things I brought to my new house was my plants – completely change a room don’t you think? But a little bit of space out the back in my garden got me thinking.. what could I do with it? What could I plant? A day spent down a rabbit hole on youtube instead of learning haemoglobinopathies (not relevant) lead me to the discovery of all the things I could grow! Cut off the bottom of an onion and plant it in the ground and apparently in a few weeks – hey presto – it’ll have established roots and maybe sometime in the future you can have your own onions – mind blown. 

However, this isn’t about the 3 celery’s, 1 lettuce, apple seeds and avocado tree I’m hoping to grow at some stage hopefully soon, no, it’s about where we find ourselves right here and right now. Our first lockdown church talk was based on a famous chapter in Jeremiah (29) and I hadn’t read the book of Jeremiah before so thought I’d dive in. The start of the book is genuinely a bit heart-breaking, God who loves the people of Israel like a husband loves his wife has effectively watched her run off and cheat on Him with fake foreign gods and god substitutes. However, God’s love for Israel was greater than His hurt and He asks the people to return but again they reject Him. Long story short and we find the people removed from the promised land and conquered by another nation who rule over them. God could no longer hold back His wrath because of Israel’s sin and it spilled over. Yet God, being so faithful and choosing to love His people, He gave them a promise they didn’t deserve, ‘I will come to you and fulfil my good promise to bring you back to this place’ (chapter 29:10). 

So they knew that it wasn’t forever (even if 70 years might seem a long time), they knew that they’d be brought out of the place where they weren’t really supposed to be and back to the place that was for them. God speaks to them in this time and instead of saying hold tight until you can go to where you think you should be, he says LIVE. He says to seek the peace and prosperity of where you are right now (29:7). He says look at where I’ve brought you in this moment, look at this place and seek peace in this place. Peace in lockdown. Peace in your household. Peace in your town or area. Peace. This peace or shalom as it is often referred can be described as the ‘dynamic and vibrating health of a society that pulses with divinely directed life and transforming love’. So look around you right now. Seek God and ask Him what a healthy society pulsing with divinely directed life and transforming love looks like right where you are, right now. Call out to heaven and seek what you can do today to build the Kingdom of God right where you are in lockdown.

When it comes to me in my garden, part of me thinks what is the point? What is the point in me planting vegetables in a place that will be temporary? What is the point in me building relationship with neighbours that will be temporary? Yet God has planted me. I am right where I’m meant to be whether I think it or not. And He says LIVE, he says lay down roots just like He said to the people of Israel, “Therefore build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce” (29:28), so I’m going to choose to lay down some roots and seek the Kingdom right where I am.

What are the roots that you’re not laying down right now? Hold nothing back. There’s growth in every season and know that when it comes to take up the plant to move it to a new pot or place; the roots that grew in lockdown come with it.