That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3: 17-19 NKJV.

This past week our family experienced another emotional storm. My brother in law Mike experienced a stroke. My sister called me after the EMT’s had arrived. I dressed quickly and we were off to the hospital. This man had jogged eight miles the day before, so to say we were all in a bit of a shock is an understatement.

Of course it took me back to my own husband’s stroke story. Sitting in the ER with them, I could only marvel that Mike was alert, could communicate and participate in his own decisions. Mike’s stroke was definitely not quite as devastating as Darryl’s, but has been life changing for them. What is holding Mary steady? Being “rooted and grounded in love”.

As a young girl, I remember my mother taking cuttings from hydrangea’s and putting them in a Mason jar full of water. They would begin to produce small hair like structures–roots. She would let them sit in that jar until the roots filled the jar. On a day she determined, she would plant them in our yard. To be honest, she may have been changing out the water, I don’t know. When she moved them to the yard, she would place a bigger jar over the top of the plants for a while. This created a little hot house to help them “root in”. Depending on the weather, some days the jars would be removed during the day, but replaced at evening. She took great care with these little plants, because she had a vision for their purpose. After awhile, the jars would disappear and the plants were left exposed to the elements. She trusted they had developed a strong enough root system to fend for themselves.

This sudden “stroke storm” that has hit our family reveals our root system. Watching my sister navigating all the test results and trusting them for insight, wisdom and decision making has been difficult. This stroke has left Mike unable to swallow as yet, so he will need a feeding tube. Because I walked this road with my husband, I know they don’t have to be permanent or super uncomfortable. (Which is another way God answered my prayer of God getting every good thing from our stroke storm!) As my mom watched over the hydrangea cuttings, God watches over us. It is our choice to allow our roots to grow deeper into His love or let fear and doubt cause us to withdraw them from Him.

When planting seeds or cuttings there is another step. It is “tamping”. After you put the seed or plant in the ground, you need to eliminate large air pockets and stabilize the plant so you “tamp” the soil. I like to think being “grounded” in God’s love does the same. Reading His Word, connecting with mature believers and being established in a home church helps God “tamp” or “ground” ground us in His love. Every believer needs this. No matter how old or young you are in Him. It has almost been 1 week since Mike’s stroke. There have been challenges every day. He will be moving to a stroke rehab in a few days about an hour a way. Only our God knows what lies ahead, but our past experiences and knowledge of who He is, helps push away fear. Embrace faith and watch how He works this out for good for those involved.

Keep learning and leaning into His loving care, no matter your life’s storms. If you find yourself in a peaceful state–enjoy it! Don’t be robbed from that blessing, but allow it to flow into your inner most being. Trust the Master gardener!

Father, I thank you for rooting and grounding us in your love. No matter what storms of life come into our lives. You are preparing us now, and for that we can trust you. Thank you for holding us steady, no matter what comes our way, we choose to trust you. In Jesus’ Name, amen.