How are your ROOTS? 🌳
The Biblical Self-Care of FAITH & the Land Beyond
In this week’s Biblical Self-Care devotional journal 📝, we’re on our 3rd straight week on the topic of FAITH.
🗓️ This week is about how FAITH is often involved in whether or not we’ll succeed in getting to (or not getting to) our own personal “land beyond” …like Abraham:
By faith Abraham, when he was called [by God], obeyed by going to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance…
—Hebrews 11:8 ab AMP
📜 In Abraham’s story, his “land beyond” was the “place which he was to receive as an inheritance.”
And, the end of the scripture above reads:
“…he went not knowing where he was going.
🙌 It is much the same for us.
We, too, may be called by God to a “land beyond.”
We may be called to set out for a land God wants us to “receive as an inheritance.” And, it, too, may be very unfamiliar to us.
🗺️ We may be asked to launch out in FAITH during a geographical move. It may be that God has called us to found a ministry. We may be called by God to parent our kids miles beyond what our own parents were able to do in their lifetimes — so it is unfamiliar to us.
In my work of walking Christian trauma survivors into Biblical Self-Care & trauma recovery, ❤️🩹 often our “land beyond” is settling down into the territory of simply being ourselves.
👍 You see, trauma is intended to UPROOT us from our own being.
😰 Traumatic events are often designed by the enemy as a scheme [Ephesians 6:11] to UPROOT us from the birthright of simply being us.
» In our devotional journal 📝 this week, we address the role FAITH can play in:
getting us there
… but also
how Biblical FAITH can mean it’s difficult for others to “see” where we’re headed
When we’re heading out into a new territory for us — we, and others, may have no idea what in the world 🌍 we are getting up to, 😉 as we walk by FAITH.
If you’d like to read all about it ; ) —> you can access this week’s free devotional on our instagram account HERE or sign up to receive it by email 📧 this week & every week HERE.
» But, this article is really a question about our ROOTS 🌱
You see, if we’re going to hope to travel to a “land beyond” by FAITH, we’re likely to benefit from observing the state of our “ROOTS:”
Are we rooted in Him?
&
Are we willing to UPROOT & let Him take us to the next place He has for us?
In our 1st question above, we’re looking at an excerpt from Psalm 1:1-3 AMP:
Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example]…but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night…
He will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season; its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].
It’s clear this is a good idea: 💡
…yielding fruit in season 🍇
…leaves not withering 🍃
…prospering in everything we do 💪
» If we’re to even know where to go, how we’re being led or hoping to prosper there — where our roots lie matters.
1️⃣ If you’re seeking courage & clarity to get to your “land beyond,” I would encourage you to personally examine the ways detailed in the scripture above to being “rooted in Him.”
🔎 As the scripture suggests, we’ll benefit if we examine the condition: of our relationships — of our influences — of our quiet time with Him — of our Bible study — of the state of our thought lives. 💭
For those of us with a life with a history of trauma, it has often been about being out of our control of our lives on so many levels. 🙄
—> The good news is: pursuing the Biblical Self-Care of examining our roots is not. 😁 WE can control if we’re living a life planted by His river. 💪
🙏 I would encourage you to prayerfully pursue this work today. : )
2️⃣ The 2nd way we want to examine our roots is to look to see if they are TOO STUCK.
Trauma not only wants to UPROOT us from who we were meant to be and UPROOT us from a powerful & healthy relationship with Him… it also is designed to lead us to:
⛵️“batten down the hatches,”
🛡️ take on armor of our own making (like Eve), and/or
🙈 isolate in an attempt to prevent further harm
» In other words, it’s common to fear change — to fear a re-location of our ROOTS.
😨 When life has been unpredictable, unsafe & damaging for so long — it’s only human to try to do whatever we can to protect ourselves from further harm.
And that may leave us stuck. However, the Lord told the prophet Jeremiah:
See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant.
— Jeremiah 1:10
In the life of a believer, we can often be called to “pick up sticks,” as God moves us onto the next best thing for our lives.
🙌 And, sometimes, it can be some distance from where we are comfortable or familiar.
📣 When God calls upon us to move in His Way — it can be literal, metaphorical, spiritual or in any other way He chooses & always on His timing. ⏰
🌴 Though we are meant to be rooted in Him, just like those listening to the prophet Jeremiah, UPROOTING can also be part of what He has for His people.
It certainly was for Abraham.
For us, it may mean uprooting old habits, old relationships or our old ways of attempting to protect ourselves from harm.
🌳 Yet, having said all that, we’ll probably have to be “ROOTED” in Him to even hear His instructions, know where to go AND have courage for the journey. 🗺️
So, the examination of our roots will be critical 👍
📖 Beloved, today is as good a day as any to see if we may benefit from taking time to “examine” our roots.
Are we rooted in Him?
&
Are we willing to let Him UPROOT us?
🙌 I pray God lead you to a fruitful time of ALIGNING your roots, so you’ll be able to hear Him and have the courage to move toward your own personal “land beyond” this year, by FAITH, as Biblical Self-Care. 💗