Healthy Hearts

How many of you feel as if you are juggling 10 eggs in the air while riding a unicycle on a tightrope over the Grand Canyon? Ok, maybe that was a little dramatic, but I think you get the idea. Many of us as wives, mothers, just women in general, are keeping a lot of things going for a lot of people. We have responsibilities at home—taking care of our spouse and kids, handling finances, and solving the ever-present problem of what’s for dinner. We have tasks to complete for our jobs, and we are actively serving in our churches and communities. And, of course, there is the social pressure to post how well we are performing as the perfect mom, grandma, or daughter. I know that I can personally find myself busy and distracted, and if I am not making my relationship with Jesus a priority, my life and the lives of those around me begin to be affected. As we go teetering through this daily unicycle-juggling-tightrope balancing act, it is so very important that we have a source of stability in our lives. If we are not grounded in truth and in our relationship with Jesus, we will find ourselves leaning towards anxiety, insecurity, worry, depression, and a host of other unhealthy patterns of thoughts and actions.

Colossians 2:6-7 says, “Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding with thanksgiving.” The rest of what I want to share with you is based upon the assumption that you have “received Christ Jesus the Lord,” as mentioned in the first part of this verse. Dear friend, if you are reading this post and you have never begun a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I would like to encourage you to reach out and inquire more about how you can meet this amazing Savior personally. No self-help methods or behavioral modification will ever give you the true peace, joy, and stability that only a relationship with Christ can provide.

Let’s look a little more closely at Colossians 2:6-7…

WALK IN HIM

In the New Testament, a person’s “walk” is defined as their lifestyle, or the way they are steadily progressing through life. So, in this case, how do we “walk” in Christ? In John 15:4, Jesus tells us, “Abide in Me, and I in you…” We must day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, abide in Christ. He goes a step further in John 15:7 and tells us that not only must we abide in Christ, but HIS WORDS must abide in us. This implies more than just reading a Scripture quote in a meme every day! It is the Savior’s desire that we dig into the Word—study (2 Timothy 2:15), learn (Psalm 119:33-34), hunger for it (Job 23:12), devour it (Job 15:16)—until it becomes a part of who we are and how we live our lives.

Remember, the Word of God is more than just an amazing book, it is Jesus in written form! John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” If Jesus IS the Word, then how can we possibly strive to have a relationship with Him apart from His Word? As we daily walk with Him, IN Him, let’s not minimize or neglect the life-changing power of the Word.

Years ago, I went through a time of doubting my salvation and fear of dying. Usually, it would happen at night as I was ready to go to bed, and Satan would begin to pour the lies of insecurity, doubt, and fear into my mind—“What if you didn’t really mean it when you accepted Jesus?” “What if you die tonight?” “What if God says to you ‘I never knew you’?”—and the list went on and on. Now, I KNEW in my spirit that these things weren’t true. And I KNEW a lot of Scripture. But this season was an opportunity to take the truths that I KNEW and WALK THEM OUT in my life. We’ll come back to the rest of this story in a minute…

ROOTED AND BUILT UP IN HIM, AND ESTABLISHED IN THE FAITH, JUST AS YOU WERE TAUGHT

Back to unpacking Colossians 2:6-7, the Apostle Paul encourages the believers to be rooted in Christ. The original Greek word rhizameans “planted, fixed firmly, or made stable.” This makes logical sense if we think of the root system of a tree. The roots give the tree the ability to stand upright and stable. They provide vital nutrients to the rest of the plant and help it to grow. In the fiercest storms, the roots keep the tree from breaking and strengthen it against the winds and rains.

In verse 7, Paul uses the words “established in the faith.” Look at the root word in “establish”…can you see it? STABLE. The Psalmist says it this way, “He drew me up from the pit of destruction…and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” Sweet sister in Christ, God desires more for you, for me, than for us to waver through life worried, afraid, and insecure. And the key to unlocking this peace is a real, intimate relationship with Jesus through His Word.

Remember I mentioned my struggle with fear? I began to cry out to God to give me peace. I began to search the Word, not as a daily ritual, but as if my life depended on it. And guess what? My Jesus—my real life, personal Savior—gave me answers from His Word. He gave me Proverbs 3:5 as a piece of “solid ground” to stabilize me during this frustrating time. It says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” You see, I am a person who wants to figure everything out and wrap it up in a nice little well-explained package, but God wants me to have faith, to trust Him for the things I can’t see or figure out. So, although I memorized that verse as a child, it became real and personal to me in that moment.

The Word of God is personal and alive. God uses it supernaturally to speak to our daily needs and struggles. Think for the minute of the statistical “impossibility” of turning to the exact Scripture you need for the day. The Bible contains over 31,000 verses and over 800,000 words! We would equate finding our “daily bread” in a book this size to finding a needle in a haystack, yet through the power of God’s Holy Spirit within us and the power of the living Word of God, this happens uniquely for believers all over the world, every day! And when you and I seek to know Jesus intimately through His Word, this can happen for us too. His Holy Spirit will guide us to just the right verse, just the right words to minister to each of us personally, today.

ABOUNDING WITH THANKSGIVING

It seems to me that this last phrase of Colossians 2:7 represents the natural result of daily walking with Christ, rooted and grounded in Him, and established (firm) in our faith. How grateful I am when I look back on the way God led me and taught me during that season of fear and doubt. How thankful I am that I have an intimate relationship with a loving Savior who cares enough to help me in my time of need.

Dear friend, let His Word draw you close to the One who can set your feet upon solid ground. As we begin to let Christ work in us and allow His Word to change us and shape us, we will find that some of our former thoughts of fear, despair, anger, or insecurity are gradually transformed into attitudes of peace, forgiveness, and gratefulness. When we reflect on the redeeming grace of Jesus that saved us and become rooted and grounded in the Word, firm in our faith, how can we help but praise Him and thank Him for His work in our lives!