As many of you will know, my life over the last couple of weeks has been consumed with the decorating of my lounge. If you haven’t heard about this then lucky you! - I am at risk of becoming a ‘house proud’ bore!! I decided that after many years of putting nails in the wall to hang various things, now was a good time to think about replastering the walls and the painter said that replastering would provide a much better finish when the walls were repainted - sales pitch?? Well, no, actually it turns out he was right.
But this did get me thinking, how does our outward image compare to what is underneath, does our outward image reflect an inward reality of faith, or are we merely maintaining appearances? Papering over the cracks as it were. Are we rooted in faith? Is our trust in God anchored deeply in our hearts or is it based on our emotions or circumstances?
In Matthew's gospel we are reminded of this in the Parable of the Sower – Jesus warns us that some people received the Word of God with great joy but when difficulties came (as they inevitably do!) those people fall away, their faith was not rooted in their hearts. And so, the question is not whether we have faith, but whether our faith has roots. Have we prepared our hearts and minds with strong foundations that will support our outward representation of the gospel and the Word of God?
Just as a tree cannot survive without nourishment so our faith cannot grow without reading Scripture and when life becomes difficult our faith grows through those testing times. Instead of asking ‘why is this happening?’ consider what God is teaching you in these moments. This is the real test of faith; do we follow Christ for the blessings he brings and do we still trust God when our circumstances do not change and we don’t get the answers we want? Deep faith is centred on knowing God’s character and not merely the gifts and blessings He brings. There are many things in this world that can distract us and weaken our spiritual roots but we must always strive to trust God even when the answers are delayed or not what we want. We must remain faithful even through times of suffering, and obey God’s Word even when it is difficult. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians tells us we must be rooted and grounded in love.
Just as my new plaster is hidden, now that it has been painted over, so tree roots are hidden below ground, but they both determine the strength and quality of the finished article. In the same way we must ensure that, through being rooted in faith our outward image reflects the inward reality of our faith.
Every blessing,
Julie
