Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming (Ephesians 4:14).

[The Connect Devotional team is on summer hiatus. We pray you will be blessed by this week’s set of devotionals from the September 2023 sermon series “Inner Strength, Resilient Core.”]

I moved from tree-filled North Carolina to not-tree-filled South Dakota this summer (2023). The yard at my new house was grass only, and pretty soon upon arrival, I put trees in the ground. My favorite tree is a Quaking Aspen that now lives outside my kitchen window. Its leaves dance with every breeze, and there’s always a breeze…so there’s always dancing! 

The tree itself is actually three shoots off the same root ball, and while tall, the shoots are quite slender. The instructions given me at the tree nursery were to 

1. Plant them together, and 
2. Stake each one for the first year to make sure they remain upright and grow straight and tall in spite of all the wind and coming harsh winter conditions. 

Each one is secured to the same post in such a way that the prevailing winds won’t affect their growth, but they’re still encouraged to establish a strong root system. Once fully established, the Quaking Aspen will develop a strong and a broad root system. The root system will send shoots up to 30 feet from the tree base, and it will support all of them from the ground up.  If I don’t mow my grass regularly next summer, Aspen clones will pop up all over near this tree, and they would eventually form what they call on the Plains a "tree belt."

As Christ-followers, we’re all shoots from the same root system. We’re part of the same family, all sons and daughters of God. When “planted” alone and unsecured, we run the risk of being blown over or uprooted by the winds of life, or growing sideways or not at all because of the constant stress and pressure coming from the outside world.

When we remain together and support each other, and when we draw strength from our common root system, we Become Resilient. We grow straight and tall and strong. We Strengthen Our Core, and that allows us to dance in the breeze instead of being leveled by it.

Bonus: tree belts on the Plains are havens for wildlife! They offer shelter and reprieve from harsh conditions in all seasons. There’s always a breeze on the Plains, and it’s been my experience that life is the same way. How can you support your fellow Christians today? Ask God to show you how you can do so today. Have you been on the receiving end of such support recently? Reach out to someone who has offered it and say thank you!