[ROOTED] you’re not dying, only suffering.

An old vinedresser shares about his work. To him, it’s a relationship, an art form. He intimately knows each vine and each vine’s tendencies. That way he knows which vines to pin certain ways because they all have their own bent, prone to wander in their own ways. (Sounds like us, huh?)

Wendy read the words of this vinedresser over us. They gave me deep peace. I want to share that peace with you today. She read,

“The young ones need me now. The older wilting ones are not dying, only suffering. Without a drought, the root systems don’t need to go deep. The drought forces them to have a deeper, established foundation.”

Listen.

If you are a young vine, trust that the Lord, the gentle Vinedresser, sees you. He hears you. He is tentative to you.

If you have young, maybe these words quicken your heart like they did mine. Pour into your young ones. Whether they are your children or whether they are your spiritual children. If you have the honor of stewarding a new believer, then tend to them. Even in your drought.

If you are going through drought, heat, exhaustion. If you are wilting. Then hear me sweetly. The Lord is talking to you today. Praise God for the heat. It’s what requires you to sink deeper, thirsting for Him. That can be such a painful process. Trust me I know. You feel like you’re pushing into rock and hard ground. Keep pushing through, deeper still. The Lord IS the LIVING WATER. He is NOT leaving you for dead, though I know it can feel that way. Trust me, I know it can feel that way. I wish I heard this word then:

“The wilting ones are not dying. Only suffering.”

That’s where that deep peace comes in. We are not dying, only suffering! I pray it sinks into you as your read these words. Maybe you were fooled into thinking you are dying. But the beauty is that we are alive in Christ. Wilting for a season is part of our growing process.

Truly, this is WHY we can rejoice in our sufferings. Because you trust that THERE WILL BE A DAY when you look back and say, “I would not trade anything for the suffering I’ve been through.” I wouldn’t trade one drop of water for that heat and drought in that season. Why? Because it forced my roots to search for Water, and caused them to go so deep and so wide, that I am now strengthened, rooted, and established in His love for me. Now I believe the love of God for me. And it took sticking out that drought to arrive at that revelation. That no height nor depth nor angels nor demons can keep me from my Father’s love!

And you want some hope to hold on to? The “deeper, established foundation” that the Vinedresser is building in you?  It’s so you become:

1. ) strong enough to bear the incredible weight and enormity of God’s love for you, and

2.) strong enough to bear much fruit!

Harvest is coming, love. Get ready! Dig your roots in deeper still.

DIG DEEP:

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5

NOW GROW:

Does that resonate with you too? “You are not dying. Only suffering.” Does that bring you any comfort?

It’s possible it might stir up some anxiety or fear? Can you trust the Vinedresser? Or, can you at least trust the Lord enough to ask Him to help you trust Him more?

What helps you rejoice in your sufferings? What hinders you from rejoicing in your sufferings?