And I ask Him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all the followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love.
Ephesians 3:17b-18 MSG
There is a tool (or exercise) that is used in therapy – grounding. The purpose is to stop, look around and ground yourself in the moment.
For example – to notice the blue sky, the clouds slowly moving past; the crowing of a rooster (which in my case is happening as I type this), the beating of your heart and sound of silence. Or, take in the smell of the air, the cookies baking, the perfume that lingers or the smell of chocolate. Get yourself in the moment. Touch something to feel the softness, the rough wood, or the smooth surface of a polished supper table.
I have been practicing this for a long time but did not even know it. But, equally as much, I have allowed myself to get trapped in my own pain to disassociate myself from life. Oh those wasted hours of inward focus.
Global pandemic didn’t help. Feet didn’t make it any easier either. But breakthrough did happen this week when I allowed God’s Word to penetrate deep. It has come through personal study – it helps when one has to lecture every other week! My devotional and prayer time every day has become priceless time with my LORD. When I allowed myself to walk through the door God has open for me and see the beauty of Him - His glorious unfolding.
I have come to a place in healing that is more than my feet. It involves my past. I will spare you the details, but let’s just say there was some hard times in which I would say like Scarlett O’Hara did, “I’ll think about that tomorrow.”
tomorrow is here
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love. Ephesians 3:17 NIV
I was milling the word grounded in my mind this morning and realized that rooted is a similar word.
Rhid-zo’-o (Greek) – to root (figuratively to become stable).
Paul prays that we become rooted and established in Christ’s love. No matter the circumstance, this action is paramount. Not shallow roots nor withered from neglect. But deep roots in Christ’s love. Roots that drink from the well of Living Water. Roots that spread wide to encompass all that God has for us. Roots that realize and know who we are in Christ. Roots that are not easily uprooted. Roots that go deep.
I was told to ground my feet this week. Yes, get them in dirt and let them sink in the soil to soak up the good bacteria that is there. My feet have been encased in socks, straps/taping for over 2 years. Quite a long time for someone who used to going barefoot. As far as heels go – mine have never felt so soft! But, that is a small win in the grand scheme of things.
I am to let me feet regain a healthy flora that is beneficial for their journey back to health. I’ve never been told to go play in the dirt and it was welcome news indeed. I now have an excuse to make mud pies, get dirty, and plant seeds. Yes, I am on it! As the weather warms up, this pair of feet will be in dirt.
And I am looking forward to it.
So, then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith, as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 NIV
Rooted. Built up. Love. Strengthened. Faith. Overflowing. Thankfulness.
These are the words that stand out to me. Words that help me to put into practice the grounding that I need to do. As I live in the moment, I need to let these words wash over me so I can be truly rooted in Christ’s love.
being vulnerable
I want to stop here, but God has been speaking to me about what actually went on this week. How this grounding exercise led to today and Ephesians 3.
Here goes.
The tomorrow I spoke of above has led me to very difficult memories, emotions, and questions. In processing through them, I came to the realization that God truly is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Truth that I know today is the same Truth for my past. It sounds elementary, but it was a huge revelation to recognize that my knowing I am beloved now, is the same as knowing I was beloved then.
God has asked me to place the Truth on the memories. As each memory comes to the surface, to apply His Truth, His love, His affection, His protection and provision on them. It could be the same as replacing the lie with the Truth, but I didn’t know what Truth was until I was 17.
I was pretty typical as a child in many ways. Filled with antics, rambunctious, note-passing self, but also in feeling left out as a child – not picked for a ball team, etc. But God wants me to stamp BELOVED on each memory and picture that I have in my mind. I see crooked teeth, He sees beauty. I see plaid, orange, funky hair, God sees me as His Creation made in His image. I see a little girl lost in the crowd, God sees me IN that crowd. I remember words of hurt and pain, yet God speaks over me – words of comfort, love, faith. He rejoices over me with singing (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV). My Saviour sings a lullaby over me. He holds me close and calls me His own.
Yes, tears are streaming down my face. It is balm for my once-ungrounded and unrooted heart. To know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God loves me from before the beginning of time is really an answer to Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3.
To grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
Ephesians 3:18 NIV
God does answer prayer. He does love and He does want us to sink deep into Him being rooted and grounded in His beloved shoulders (Deuteronomy 33:12).
PRAYER
Your Love, O LORD, is Jesus. He is limitless, beyond measure and powerful. May I indeed grasp this Love and not let go. May You give me grace to stamp Your love on all my past and then leave them at the foot of the Cross with Your stamp IT IS FINISHED on them. AMEN