Rooted and Grounded in the Father’s Love
Today our focus is the idea of being rooted and grounded in the Father’s love. We will be going deeper into the relationship of soaking up beauty — considering how to be present and attentive to our hearts in the natural world while simultaneously inhabiting the spiritual world of heaven.
We will engage around the following questions: How can I live connected to you, Father, attentive to my heart, moment by moment? Where are you? How can I find you? How can I engage with you?
Walk outside. Feel the ground beneath your feet. Take your shoes off, if you want. Or, reach down and feel the texture of the dirt in your hands. Feel the rocks — any leaves on the ground and granules of sand.
Again, feel the earth beneath you. Feel your rootedness here.
Perhaps you might even want to linger for a bit longer, saying this in your mind or out loud,
“I am here.
I am here.
I am here.”
Stay in this posture of lingering for a few moments, being mindful of your emotions, your ideas — your mind and body and breath.
Take a deep breath.
And then another….
One more…
Then….find a comfortable place to sit — either outside, on a chair or bench — or on a chair or bed or floor inside. When you have chosen a place that feels right to you, and you’ve gotten comfortable, consider putting on your headphones to block out distractions and read, once, this verse, 1 Peter 5:7:
“Give all your worries and cares to God, because he cares for you.”
Open your hands now. Lay them open in your lap. Put down everything you are holding.
Then say it again, to God, like this:
“Father, I give you all my worries and cares; I give you each worry and each care because you care for me.”
In your mind, in prayer to God, name each worry, each concern of your heart simply. Surender each care to him:
Father, I give you______ because you care for me.
Stay here for a few moments, naming each care/concern. Surrender each worry to him…
Next, close your eyes. Take another deep breath and another, and then either draw a picture and/or write a few sentences in your journal as a response to the following prompt:
Father, right now, my heart is_____ (Sad, complacent, confused, fearful, angry, lonely, content, happy, joyful, peaceful, anxious?)
Pause and spend a moment telling God why you feel this way.
Then, contemplate this verse:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit” (Jeremiah 17: 5-8, NLV).
Consider the roots of a tree — its roots drinking deeply of water that makes it grow and be beautiful and thrive. It can be the tree it is meant to be because of the nourishment it receives from the soil and water and sun.
If we consider how we are like trees planted by God, we can be mindful of the nourishment we receive to make our roots grow strong — or wither.
In your journal, reflect on the following questions, asking God to help you find true answers, Each question is a prayer, a possible springboard for conversation between you and God. Try to spend at least five minutes on each question — but go longer if that is what you need.
Father, on what/whom do I depend to get through a day? Help me think about a typical day for me. What — or whom — do I look to for strength, confidence and peace? Show me.
Lord, help me picture myself as a tree. How am I rooted? What activity or object or person in my life makes me feel grounded, confident and steadfast?
Jesus, what soil am I planted in? To whom or to what do I run when I feel unsteady, fearful and unsure?
Lord, am I in the barren wilderness, or am I a tree along a riverbank? What do you have for me now? (What picture does he show you as you close your eyes and let him guide your imagination?)
Consider ending your time by listening to worship songs and drawing a picture of this image he shows you with colored pencils and/or crayons. End in prayer.
Amen.
Additional resources
“Forest Faith: Finding Hope and Wholeness By Learning to Pray Among the Trees,” by Richard Dahlstrom and Abby Odio
“The Language of Flowers: Poems” by Jane Holloway