I was reading a book by Peter Scazzero called the “Emotionally Healthy leader” (see cover above) at a recent retreat. The strap-line refers not only to leaders, but all Christians. Making sure our roots remain strong, healthy and growing enables us to grow spiritually. In difficult times like this strong, healthy and growing roots mean a strong stable and healthy tree that can weather the storms of life (and the pandemic).
All of us are being shaken by this pandemic. All of us are facing different challenges. Some of us are being shaken to our core, shaken to our roots. I see and hear some people saying things they might not normally say and acting out of character. Those with good self-awareness realise this, some don’t.
Want to know how to keep all your leaves on and remain being fruitful for the Lord despite the wind, rain and gales (or coronavirus)? Make sure your roots remain strong, healthy and growing. How do we do that? We do that by being aware of our root system, feeding and watering it so it remains healthy. We do that by trusting in the Lord. Last Sunday we looked at investing in the various spiritual disciples as the means of doing this. Richard Foster’s book “Celebration of Discipline” is the seminal book on this and here are his suggested spiritual disciplines.