There's a reason that garden centers are filled with plants in pots. They are meant to be moved.
Lowe's or Home Depot or your favorite garden center is simply a place to select what you want for your yard, garden, or home and take it with you. Nothing there is permanent. Everything is in pots on purpose, meant to be mobile.
You don't arrive there on a Saturday, pull up out front, grab your shovel, find the perfect magnolia tree, dig it out of aisle 5 at the back of the store, and then pay the cashier as you drag the rootball to your F150. No, it's in a pot so you can pick it up and move it where you, ultimately, will plant it permanently.
((You might be thinking, yes, T. This is not new news. ◡̈ ))
And I agree. However, I was thinking about this transient-plant situation this week as I read Psalm 1. (It's 6 verses, so we're going to read it all).
1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
(Psalm 1: 1-6 NIV)
Let's draw our attention to verse 3. The person (who, in verses 1-2 is making wise decisions and who is being fed by God's word daily) is like a tree PLANTED by streams of water. They yield fruit (good things in their lives in alignment with the wise decisions they have made and in accordance with the Word that they are studying) and are called blessed.
✨ Planted, not potted.
In order to yield the good fruit that God has for our lives and to prosper in them, we have to put down deep roots. We cannot be mobile people. We cannot be people who are able to be moved by circumstances or feelings or situations or people or the latest fad. We cannot be people that don't know God's Word and run our lives in a way that is contrary to it. That's being potted. (Remember—potted things are meant to be moved).
Instead, we have to position ourselves close to the Living Water himself. (This takes intention).
Then we have to dig a hole of faithfulness. (This takes work.)
Then we have to be willing to plant ourselves in His Word. (This takes time.)
Then we have to submit ourselves to our new permanent home by the River. (This takes discipline.)
Then and only then, does the "fruit in season" occur, and the "whatever they do prospers" happen. Then we will be blessed and reap the benefits of knowing God's word and living in His abundance because of it.
Deep roots and flourishing fruit only come from time spent in God's Word. This is how we move from being potted to being planted.
✨ How we wait today
To become a person that is blessed and yields fruit, we have to be deeply planted. This deep planting comes from sinking our roots down deep into the Word of God. Find a version of the Bible you love and devour it. His Word is living, active, and the answer to every question. You will never regret spending time with Him there. (Feel free to reach out if you would like recommendations on versions or where to start—I'd love to help! tara@waitingonwonders.com)
What are some practical steps that you can take today to be "planted" by streams of Living Water?
What areas of your life have you allowed yourself to be "potted"?
((Want to read more from Tara and more about hearing God in everyday moments? Pick up your copy of Waiting On Wonders, 40-Days of Wonder Devotional at Amazon or get a signed, jacketed hardback special edition copy HERE)) ✨