[Those that chew and digest the word of God] are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
We turned these words over a bit:
what are the streams of water in our lives?
how are we in or out of season?
what is "prospering" for someone on this deep spiritual path?
This morning, I am reading in Tracy Balzer's Permission to Ponder and she engages the same verse in her first chapter:
"...I am to be planted....a tree grows because it has been planted; it grows strong and mature because it remains planted."
"To be planted" means to let our roots grow down deep into the soil of the heart of God. It is also to put roots into community, into place, into knowing our own identity and soul.
The practices of being planted are many--perhaps in our church lives and in this chapter of the psalsm, we mostly consider meditation and devotional reading (the chewing and digesting of the word of God), but these are far from the only practices of being planted.
To be planted means to:
practice gratitude for what is
share a meal made with love with our family
honor the seasons of the place (geographical) that God has us
be intentional about knowing the land and nature around us in the particular place we are
celebrate the markers of live with our community
tend a garden (of flowers, vegetables or children) in our lives
Today, I am intentionally settling deeper into the soil of my life by writing cards for those in grief, sitting in my own space by the fire--taking note of this time, place and space that God is at work. Reading scripture, carrying prayer in my heart, calling a friend from Oregon to remember that place as well and my heart there.
How are you practicing "being planted" today?
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