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Building Roots For The Future
This time of year is so beautiful because the leaves are changing colors. Walking down a street or a sidewalk with the different naturally occurring color is really something to marvel at. The idea of a tree got me thinking. Trees are incredible because there are many different parts of the tree that represent growth in our lives. When we experience hardship or trials in life it’s like we are building roots for the future. The roots of good and healthy trees are strong and unwavering, yet they have weathered the storms of life. The bark helps protect the tree. Furthermore, the leaves are pointed to the heavens and keep returning year after year.
Such it is with our lives, God gives each of us a story consisting of ups and downs. If you are like me focusing on the blessings is easy. If I have a problem God gives a solution. People think that these types of stories are inspirational and Hollywood has made many movies of such stories.
However, often times the opposite holds true. God allows trials to enter our lives. According to James 1:2 we should consider it all joy when we face trials. When I first learned this I thought it was crazy. No one should be forced to be happy when facing a trial. This is true, it does not mean force yourself to be happy. Rather, James here is encouraging us to have a positive outlook on the situation we find ourselves in.
Why would James say this? Because tough times are often the best teachers. We are forced to learn and to think and respond in different and hopefully better, more mature ways. When we are happy and going about our normal routine we rarely, if at all, think about how we can learn and grow. God knows our human tendencies because He created us. Therefore, we unfortunately should not be surprised by the hardships we experience in life.
The word endure is mentioned in verse 3 because “the testing of our faith produces endurance.” Again the first time I was studying this I was less than impressed. The phrase “producing endurance” left me thinking that some trials go on over a long period of time. This again is not something I would want to sign up for, but who would? The key word in this verse is endurance. Another word for endurance is perseverance. Perseverance teaches us patience. Patience with ourselves and others is a quality most people want but few have at least in America.
Here in America we do not really suffer much for Christ. This is largely because we have freedom of religion. However, in many countries today and in the first century, Christians expected they would face struggles. I am not saying we have to enjoy the trials, but rather we can enjoy learning more about who God is. Our character is built while we are pursuing truth, God’s truth. Perseverance strengthens us. It allows us to trust and have confidence in our relationship with Christ. When tested we should look to God with thankfulness.
This attitude about trials is contradictory to our human nature. Our first thought is to complain and the second question is when is it going to end? We all like the easy life. When asked, how are you, have you noticed the most common answer is well or good. If someone is not doing well, however, they will talk a lot more about a trial. No one ever talks about the blessings. Blessings in today’s world are often the way we see God allowing us to have what we want, not necessarily what is best for us.
I’m not saying that we have to be enthusiastic about the trials we face. But it is the trials that build character. We have to ask ourselves what do we need to learn. Learning involves many aspects of life. We can learn about ourselves and others yet one of the things that gets overlooked is the character of God. God is the author of life, yet, we tend not to know His character. Trials cause us to reflect in ways that we would miss if we were not given such an opportunity.
Our lives are often parallel to that of a tree. The tree grows and aspires to be big and tall. The strongest trees have the strongest roots. The roots are what give the tree strength. Without trials our faith in not strengthened. In addition, every year there are a number of leaves that have the privilege of pointing to the sky. The leaves are the opposite direction of the roots being in the ground. However, the leaves are visual evidence that not only does the tree live on, but the seasons of life as well live on. The leaves represent ongoing growth along with many blessings that accompany it. Blessings come in many ways and often we miss them. Not because they are not there, but because we are too busy to stop and look.
To grow we must have to overcome things big and small. Like a tree we must have strong roots to rely on when things get tough. The idea of trials and perseverance are not welcomed, but give strength upon completion. We are new people with a new sense of hope. Hope produces strength and strength produces perseverance to allow us to keep on growing.
