For those of us who live in New Jersey and the surrounding area, Hurricane Sandy is a storm that we won’t soon forget.  Many lost their homes and all their earthly possessions, and tragically, some lost their very lives.

Here in northern New Jersey, we were spared the worst of the damage.  We did lose power for two weeks, due to the many trees that came down.  The sheer number of trees that were downed in the storm was staggering; the very landscape has been changed.  As I took a walk after the storm to survey the damage, I noticed that the vast majority of trees that came down were pines.  And these trees did not snap in the wind, they were pulled out by their very roots, leaving large root balls standing high in the air at the base of each fallen tree.

As I stood looking at one of those fallen pines, I noticed something:  the root ball left a wide hole, but not a very deep one; the root system seemed shallow.  The tree was not diseased, in fact it appeared very healthy, but the roots did not go down deep.  Thus, when the heavy winds came, the soft ground just could not hold those large pine trees in, and the entire root system gave way.

Looking at those many fallen trees, the Lord impressed something upon me, a lesson I have heard before, but now with a very powerful visual to go along with it.  In order for us to survive the (sometimes violent) storms of this life, we must have deep roots – of course I am talking about deep roots in Christ.  Our faith must be strongly grounded, growing deep in the love of Jesus, or when the strong storms come we will simply topple over.

“But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away” (Mark 4:17).

Sisters, by His grace and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, let us seek not to have superficial root systems, but rather deep roots, going down deep into the “depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God” (Rom. 11:33).

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him; rooted and built up in Him; strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness”  (Col. 2:6 & 7).

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jer. 17:7 & 8).

“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor”  (Isaiah 61:3).

Stacey Poplawski
WOC Graduate