|
Listen to this devotional: |
Listen while you read: "Rock Of Ages Cleft For Me"1
(Lyrics) |
Ephesians 3:17 – Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. (NLT)
Tom had a fragile childhood. His father was known as a rowdy type, a sailor with a woman in every port. Naturally, things between his mother and father fell apart, since his father wouldn't stop his carousing. Then, the day came when his mom met a man from Florida. Before he knew it, they were married and moving to Florida — without him.
Tom was left to live with his grandmother, who lived with her daughter and son-in-law and their two children. His aunt and uncle became his parents, and his two cousins became his brother and sister.
Tom's life wasn't much different than his father's. None of his marriages lasted very long. Since he couldn't father children of his own, when the marriages dissolved, so did most of the roots that went with them. When his last wife died from cancer, Tom sold almost everything he had, loaded his horses and belongings into a trailer, and hit the road. He had no roots.
Sometimes, I feel a little like Tom. As a preacher's kid and then a preacher myself, moving from place to place came with the territory. Church often interfered with family reunions, so I depended on my grandmother to keep me updated. Mom and Dad's sisters are the only family matriarchs that my family has left.
Although my earthly roots are somewhat fragmented — and now shallow — my spiritual roots run deep. Distance, divorce, and death can shatter and fragment genealogical roots, but the root that extends down into God's love is a deep one. In fact, it is a tap root with no end.
Others may leave us in life for numerous reasons. We ourselves will one day have to leave this earth behind. But if we are rooted in God's love, we have a large family that is planted across the world. Our physical families may dwindle and fragment, but our spiritual families can be found anywhere that we go, because everywhere that we go, we can find people who are rooted in God's love.
When it appears that family roots are slowly dissipating, let's remember how large our spiritual family is. Let's pray for them and rejoice in spending time with them.
Prayer: Father, we thank You for giving us spiritual family around this globe. Amen.
Forward this devotional Share on Facebook
About the author:
Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
Send your feedback to the author
Thank you so much and God bless you.
Thanks Martin. Blessings to you and your family.
Thanks Martin, for a good “family” reminder.
Blessings.
Thank you, Martin, for your encouraging devotional and clearly stating our positive reality.
Sure helps me today, Martin. Hooray for your inspiration and sharing your faith with us! Yay for you!
Isn’t it great how God redeems what evil attempts to destroy! Love how God does that. Thanks for sharing this devotional reminder! Blessings.
Thank you, Martin, for another special devotional. Yes, we are so fortunate to have “family” through our church connections and biblical studies. Sharing the love of our Lord certainly gives us a connection with caring and understanding people. Blessings for your writings.
Dear Martin,
Thanks for the devotional this morning.
Isn’t it going to be a great day very soon when we see Jesus face to face and all the “family” we didn’t know on this earth??? “What a day that will be!!” Heaven is looking better every day!
God bless you.
God has gifted you with an amazingly pure simple clear way to write and I thank and praise Him for you sharing this gift. Poor Tom.
Poor all of us.
Yet Jesus did say something like “Blessed are the poor, for they shall see God”
Keep going, bye for now.
Love rooted in Christ Jesus.
Hello Martin
Wow, this is what I was sharing with someone about half hour ago. Since my husband died his older brother, nor his wife, does not call or stop by as if I am not here. It hurts but thank God for my church family especially 2 certain families. They are my family, amazing how God can put the right people in your life! So I hold to those blessings and pray for the in-laws. Lots of prayers!!
God bless.
Good morning, Martin,
I have not experienced the uprooting you describe because I have lived in the same city all my life and my parents stayed together. However, as death comes to my family, I am experiencing in a different way how it growing smaller and smaller. I am encouraged by thinking about my spiritual family with its tap root and that it can be found anywhere in the world.
Thank you for the different way of thinking about this. Blessings.