On The Rocks

Consider this story:

A woman went out to plant a maple tree.  She took a bag of beautiful rounded stones and poured them out into a lovely clay pot.  She took the tree out of its pot and spread out its roots. She then planted the tree firmly in the stones and watered it thoroughly and set it in a sunlit windowsill so it would grow.  Every day she watered it but it began to wither and dry up.  No amount of watering seemed to help and eventually the tree died.  As she tipped the tree from its beautiful pot, the tree fell out gripping tightly to the stones clinging on for dear life when no life was there.

In situations I have seen, plants will grow in many interesting ways when confronted with rocks.    As someone who has tried to grow carrots for a number of years, growing those in rocky soil will give you some wild shaped roots for whenever the carrot root hits a rock, it will simply grow around it continuing its path down if at all possible.  In this case, it is important to realize that the surface of the rock was impenetrable for the plant to root and grow.   Like these roots, we all crave the good rich soil of a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.  We are all seeking, and searching for what is missing in our lives just like these roots are looking for the dirt and will go to any extreme to find some. Will we grow straight and true or come out all gnarly and crooked from all the stones we try to root into?

In our lives we live in nice homes, have good jobs, beautiful cars, clothes, money to spend and to everyone on the outside, we seem typical, normal and happy.  But maybe underneath the surface, things aren't so happy; your roots are hitting hard stones, the fears that lay hidden deep in your heart.   Fears of failure, not being loved, not having friends, not making good enough grades,  not having enough money, fears about how your children will grow up, fear of missing out on what is important in life, fear of dying.  We tend to obsess over them thinking of all the angles and ways we can cover them up, telling ourselves that this will fix the problem.   What we realize, sometimes too late, is that we can’t get rid of them on our own.    The only control we truly have is to choose to be slaves to our inner fears or to be truly free with the Master Gardener taking care of us.

The real issue then is trust.  Who do you trust?  Yourself and your ability to somehow overcome all of your fears by using the trappings of false security?  Or do you trust the Master Gardener?

Some of you don't know Jesus Christ, the Master Gardener.  You don't know that He is trustworthy.  You have so many fears already that you think He cannot possibly handle them all.  That you have wrecked things in your life so badly that He couldn’t possibly want to love you.  Or that since you can’t physically see Him, He can’t be trusted.  You are searching around the rocks of fear in your life, thirsty, unable to find what you need.   We are all made to root into that good healthy soil of a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. He made you and loves you and wants you to be free from fear.    Will you trust Him?  Will you let go of being afraid that He isn't trustworthy?   Ask Jesus to help you trust Him right now.

 Some of you will say you already trust the Master Gardener and want Him to uproot you from all the fears you obsess over. That you are going to give Him total control of your life and trust His care and do all the right things.    But do you trust Him enough to really let go of control of everything in the deepest part of your heart?  An aspect of trust many of us miss is that we have to make the first move and let go of it all when we do.  Like the rich young ruler in Matthew 19: 16-26 we can do all the right things on the outside that show we trust, but are we willing to trust and give up control of everything in our inner lives? When we tell the Master Gardener that we are ready and want Him to plant us firmly in the soil of a relationship with Him will we let go of all of the rocks we are wrapped around?  Or will we hold on to some of them while letting go of others and our roots have to be lovingly released one by one, stone by stone, fear by fear,  until we truly let go of them all?   Will we remain withering and fruitless, languishing and frustrated that our relationship with the Master Gardener isn't like we thirst for it to be? How long will it take for you to totally trust Him?

Another thing to consider is that when we let go and trust Him we are free.  Truly free. Nothing is weighing us down; we don't have to pretend we are in control, to look good, to save face.  He reminds us in Luke Chapter 12 that we do not need to fear, but He will take care of us that to "seek His kingdom and these things will be added to you"  Seek the rich soil of a relationship with Him and be free.    But so often instead, we will be like Peter walking on the water in Matthew 14: 22-32.  We start out looking at the Master and when He calls us to come to His hand trusting Him to uproot us from our fears and to care for us and plant us in the richness of a relationship with Him we gladly let go.  Then we look around us and become fearful of the fact that we are letting go.  We take our eyes off of Him and fear again takes control.   Fear negates trust and freedom.  God's Word tells us over and over again to not be afraid, that He is with us.  The Master Gardner knows that fear will be the main thing that will keep you from being free.  He wants you to be free. He wants you to look to Him and let go of all the rocks.

On the rocks:  In or into a condition of ruin or catastrophe, bankrupt

On the Rock:  In a condition of freedom trusting in Jesus Christ for all you are and need