Recently, I was given the privilege of teaching a Spiritual Emphasis week Bible lesson to our middle school students. This lesson focused on “loving God with our soul” (Mark 12:30). The amazing part of this verse is the truth that our “soul”, as mentioned in this verse, refers to such a deep part of our being. This verse refers to loving God with all we have and all God has put in us.

Soul- (a) the vital breath, breath of life (b) the human soul (c) the soul as the seat of affections and will (d) the self (e) a human person, a distinct unique individual –Strong’s Concordance

God’s word is full of promises. God’s promise to us in this case is that if we choose to love Him with all of our being and to root ourselves in who He is,  He will sustain us. He will fulfill us. He will reveal our purpose to us.

In Psalm 1:3, David encourages the reader with the truth that rooting ourselves in God comes with the promise that He will bring forth our fruit in season; He will keep our leaves from withering; He will allow us to prosper through Him.

Be a rooted tree. Sounds pretty easy right? Think about what that really means. A tree does not have the ability to move. When life gets tough, the rooted tree endures. When the storm rages, the rooted tree digs its roots deeper and stands firm. When a tree finds itself alone, the rooted tree must remain there.

One thought I challenged my middle school students with that day was the idea that being that rooted tree is what God asks us to do.

But what if we don’t like the place that God plants us? What if we do not like the storm that rages around us while rooted? What if we do not like the tree that God asks us to be? What if we want to be a different tree?

It is easy to root yourself when you get to make all of the choices, when you get to choose your circumstances, and when you get to choose the pretty tree that you desire. Rooting yourself with pure trust that God knows what He is doing is a different challenge. This is the challenge God is asking each of us to take.

Trust God with His tree choice for you. Trust God with where He plants you. Trust God  in the storms that may challenge your root system and watch as God “brings forth your fruit in season”.

“They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.” Psalm 1:3 (NLT