Roots, and, and, and

Today in San Jose, rain is falling, gray clouds hide the sun and cover the sky. Out my window, I see our olive tree’s roots rising from the dark, wet soil, surrounded by stems & leaves of the bulbs Randy planted. 

In Ephesians 3, Paul wrote to his church family in Ephesus:

I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

“Rooted and established in love.” That’s us. God’s love is like the soil rich with nutrients in which our roots are planted. His love keeps us alive, the way good soil keeps a tree alive. His love is our foundation, holding us up, strengthening us.

And don’t you love “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ?” All those “ands.” Like a kid telling her mom about a river she saw, “Mom, that river was really wide! I don’t think I could swim across it. And so long! Who knows how far it goes? And the water was high! Splashing over the rocks. And deep! I couldn’t even stand up in it. It was over my head!” As the verses say, God’s love is literally over our heads -- “this love that surpasses knowledge.”

No matter what is happening to you, no matter what turmoil is in the world, may you know God’s deep, rich, sustaining love. No matter how sad or angry or helpless or confused or frightened you may feel, may you know how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ for you.