Rooted and Grounded
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3: 14-19
“May courage Cause our lives to flame, In the name of the Fire, And the Flame, And the Light.” John O’Donohue, “In Praise of Fire”
I honestly don’t feel very courageous in this season of life. What I mostly feel is tired and a bit frazzled. Regardless, I love reading Ephesians 3 and seeing Paul declare that we are rooted and grounded in the Love of Christ. This love holds us when we are weak and anchors us in the chaos of our lives.
It’s amazing that these verses don’t say anything about how we have to earn this love. Paul says Christ will strengthen us in order to receive and grasp his great love. His love was always and already there for us, like a body of water building and building behind a dam, just waiting for a crack to break or for someone to open the levies. And if we choose to open that door, then we get to watch the love of God pour through our lives, tearing down structures we built and thought would save us, drenching everything in our lives that needs a drink in his cool, dark love.
I don’t know about you, but I want to drink deep; I want to float on my back through this great love, anchored to the truth that God has me, and in Him, I find true peace and joy. I want to know this love for myself, and I think God is generous to give it to us, even in the midst of our busy, crazy lives.
Author Brennan Manning always talks about the French phrase “L’amour de Dieu est follie!” which translates to “The love of God is folly!” I love that phrase because I want to see it happen in my own life. I want to be foolish again in my love for God. I want to be foolish in the way that I receive his love.
Oh that you would teach us, Lord. We want to receive this great, immeasurable love that you have for each one of us. We want to be rooted and established in it. Teach us to receive deeply. In your name we pray, Amen.