Last May, my Nannie (my great aunt) passed away. She was our family’s cornerstone; she held us together with her gatherings and effortless hospitality. She exuded kindness, gentleness, and comfort. Gifts of good food and cute clothes were guaranteed when I was around her. She was one of those people whose presence helped boost your confidence and trust. When I was with her I knew I was loved and valued not from anything she said but just from how she was. Never demanding. Just firm and there, present, solid, steadfast. 

At her repass, my sister and cousins made centerpieces out of red geraniums because they were her favorite flower. After learning more about their nature, I can see why. Geraniums are easy to grow, have attractive leaves, and appealing flowers. They are perennials. They are lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring.

To memorialize her, I took good care of the red, centerpiece geranium. It was repotted, well-watered, and given good sun. When I moved from Connecticut to Philadelphia it survived and thrived, showing me lessons in its steadfastness. 

But this summer, I noticed it started having a red tint to its leaves and was beginning to brown at the base. One day, I decided to repot it thinking to myself that it had outgrown its pot and needed to send its roots down deeper. Imagine my despair when I realized all of its roots were gone; it had been overwatered. The roots had rotted. It was dead. 

Yet, there was a lesson through all of this. 

The bible talks extensively about being deeply rooted. As a novice plant lover, it makes sense to me. Without deep roots plants die; they don’t last long.  The don’t receive adequate nutrients from the soil.  They simply can’t thrive. As I’m getting older, I’m starting to realize that all people, not just us that have been diagnosed with anxiety can be and are anxious. As Christians, God’s called and beloved children, he desires for us to be deeply rooted in him. 

What does it mean to have deep roots?

The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.

-Matthew 13: 20-21

When Jesus refers to the seed that has no deep root, he describes it elsewhere as being “short-lived” meaning that it does not endure through the persecution and hardships that may come because of Jesus’ words.   

As I reflect on the meaning of this, I see the ways I allow my anxiety to cause me to have shallow root. When I’m met with uncertainty, I can dwell on the pain it causes me instead of allowing the pain of uncertainty to push my roots deeper into the certainty and sureness of Christ’s love, power, and sovereignty. 

When I face a trial, my initial response is that of panic and wondering how something will turn out. If I continue to allow myself to panic over these seemingly small things, my roots will not get stronger in him. They’ll remain shallow and won’t mature in depth. Just as plants learn to strengthen their roots through rocks and gravel, so I too must learn to relentlessly dig my thoughts, beliefs, and trust through the rocks and gravels of life and into the reality of Christ. 

Just as I was deeply rooted in the love of my dear great aunt, surely Christ desires for me to have just as much, even more, deep root in who He is. 

As anxious people my encouragement to us all is to focus more on the fact that Jesus doesn’t want us to have a short-lived relationship with him. He longs for  it to be lasting, to exist for a long time, to be infinite, enduring, and continually recurring. If you don’t believe me, look at the message he’s left for us in nature. If he’s given geraniums, in their perenniality, the ability to last long, how much more has he given us? 

Love and Light, 

Kourtney Naomi 

More scripture on deep roots: 

• Jeremiah 17:7-8
• Colossians 2:6-7
• Ephesians 3:16-19