Sacredness brings a gentle transformation as our roots go ever deeper into its rich and fertile soil. ~Viola M. Jaynes
Hurricane Ike left a great path of destruction. One of the things that I have found so astounding are the huge trees that have been pulled out of the ground by their entire root-system. To my amazement many of those trees only had about a five to seven inch root system supporting an entire tree. As I inquired about this, I was told that the roots do not go past the clay and therefore, the roots expand outward but do not go deep. I was utterly amazed that these huge trees we have in our town here are really only supported by very shallow roots.
Of course, my readers know me well by now. How could I not immediately see a parallel into our own lives with a lesson given to us so generously by nature. I think of a long ago friend who told me once that he has always had his way in life. Everything he has ever wanted, no matter what it was, seemed to fall right in line with his desires. Yet, this same person struggled immensely with dealing with everyday life. The smallest troubles that came his way seem to collapse him into a state of total helplessness. Alcohol seemed to give him some relief, and his many visits to his psychiatrist seemed to only prop him up temporarily.
Another person once told me that she lived in a home that was much like the TV series ,”Leave it to Beaver.” In her description, her childhood was perfect. This same young woman also told me that she felt it was this perfect environment that has brought her the most challenges trying to function as an adult. I was puzzled over her story and pondered over it for sometime.
I do not necessarily believe that people must suffer in order for them to become a strong human being, although, suffering does tend to burn away the harder outer crust of our hearts, which allows a gift of compassion to surface as suffering has pierced deeply into the essence of our being.
But what then, I wonder, is it that makes some people have a solid foundation and a strong and resilient nature? The answer perhaps is different for every individual. Much, of course, is traced back to infancy and early childhood experiences, and much is discussed about the home life people experienced. Many lived in a less than perfect or ideal home, and yet, so many of these same people go on and live relatively emotionally and mentally stable lives, while others, seemingly struggle constantly.
If one has grown up with good parents, a good stable home, or, if one was tossed back and forth with every whim that the adult in their lives had at the time, I am convinced of one sure thing which will bring deep roots into a persons life:
Learning to honor sacredness.
Honoring sacredness in our lives creates roots that will go deep. Those roots will stay deep and perhaps go deeper each time a strong wind comes along. Those roots will be supportive and will never disappoint because it reaches far beyond the the surface of our being.
Sacredness brings a gentle transformation of old and mundane ways of looking at life, to a creative realization of the possibilities that each event which has touched our lives can be a beautiful tapestry of possibilities working for our good. Thus, sacredness is a very tender and gentle anchor into our very soul.
Because of hurricane Ike, I have gained a literal mental picture in my mind of how it looks when a very large, seemingly strong tree has fallen because of shallow roots. May we find a place of quietness within our own hearts to ever deepen our soul into the rich and generous fertile ground of sacredness. May we find peace and strength at all times, and may we never be frightened when the winds and storms of life do come.
