Where We Are Rooted Matters

Naomi Middleton

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“Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord… That person is like a tree planted by streams of water.” — Psalm 1:1–3 (NIV)

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I’ll be the first to admit that, even though I want to have a green thumb, I don’t. Part of the problem is the effort that I’m willing (or not willing) to put into gardening. However, part of it is also a lack of knowledge. I don’t know much about plants or what they need to flourish.

When my husband and I moved into our first home in 2018, we inherited a beautifully landscaped yard. The previous owners had invested years of time and love into it, planting many types of flowers, bushes, and trees. As they told us about their yard, I felt excited about the task of managing and cultivating it.

We moved into our house in early May, so everything was still dormant from the winter. However, within a few weeks, the plants began to emerge. First, yellow and white tulips popped up. Then the grass began to turn green. After that, the trees bloomed pink and white. It was beautiful—we felt like we’d hit the yard jackpot!

But that feeling quickly turned into frustration. We realized that weeds often grow faster than any other plant. Bushes need to be trimmed more often than we had time for, and grass doesn’t stay green without regular watering. Over the next few years, we learned a lot about taking care of a yard. We made mistakes (like the time we over-fertilized and almost completely killed our entire yard). But we also grew to enjoy the process of tending to our yard and digging in the dirt.

After about three years, we both felt like we were finally getting the hang of caring for the plants in our yard. But there was one hydrangea plant we just couldn’t figure out. Every year, it would grow huge and luscious. Its leaves would be green and full, but it would never bloom. We tried everything we could think of. One year, we tried cutting it back. The next year, we didn’t. We experimented with different types of fertilizer, but nothing seemed to work.

Finally, we asked someone who knew a lot about plants what we were doing wrong. They asked us how we were caring for it, and we explained our various attempts. To our relief, they told us we were doing everything right. But then they said the problem was likely that the hydrangea wasn’t planted in the right place. If we wanted it to thrive, we’d need to make sure it had the right soil and the right amount of sunlight. Sadly, there was no spot in our yard with the right conditions for it, so we simply continued to enjoy its green beauty. After a few years, we replaced it with a plant that better suited our yard.

An Example of Good Roots

I’m not a gardening expert (our hydrangea bush—and honestly, our entire yard—can attest to that). But one tree that has fascinated me for years is the acacia tree. The acacia tree can survive (and even thrive) in some of the harshest desert conditions in the world.

When the desert sun scorches the land and everything else begins to wither, the acacia tree remains green. When the heat drains life from the landscape, it becomes a source of shade, rest, and life. How? The secret is in its roots.

Many acacia trees grow near riverbeds. During the rainy season, their roots absorb and store large amounts of water deep beneath the surface. So when the dry season comes, the tree continues to thrive because it is rooted in a hidden source of life.

The Bible often uses trees as pictures of what life with God should look like. Psalm 1 gives one of the clearest examples: “Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord… That person is like a tree planted by streams of water.” — Psalm 1:1–3 (NIV)

The “law of the Lord” in this passage points beyond rules alone—it points to the full revelation of God, ultimately fulfilled in the gospel through Jesus.

Being rooted in the right place is not ultimately about trying harder or becoming more moral. It is about being rooted in Jesus. When our lives are grounded in Him, we have access to the living water our souls need to survive and flourish. When the dry seasons of life come (and they will) we do not have to wither, because our roots have already found the source of life.

1 John 5:12 says: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

The Greek word used for “life” here is ζωή (zoē), which refers to the very source and sustenance of life itself. Jesus is not simply someone who improves life—He is the source of life.

Our Roots and Our Loves

So, if Jesus is the good soil our lives need to be rooted in, how do we actually root ourselves in Him?

Looking again at Psalm 1, the psalmist suggests that a person becomes rooted in the "law of the Lord" through meditation. This is more than a quick or occasional thought about God. It is a steady, intentional focus on His truth—returning to it throughout the day, turning it over in our minds, and allowing it to shape the way we think, desire, and live.

At first glance, it may seem as though the psalm is simply offering a formula for spiritual growth, and in some ways it is. But it goes much deeper than that. It reaches into the very core of what we love. Throughout Scripture, God continually shows His people that what we think about most, what we invest our time and energy in, and what we run to in moments of need reveals the true affections of our hearts. These patterns are not random. They expose what we believe will give us life and ultimately what we love.

Just as every tree has roots, every person has roots. No one is truly unrooted. The question is not whether you have roots, but where those roots are planted. What is feeding your life beneath the surface? What are you drawing from day after day? In many ways, discovering where you are rooted is surprisingly simple: look at what you love. Our deepest affections, security, and loves reveal the soil we have rooted our lives in.

By default, our roots tend to grow toward whatever we love most - what makes us feel the most secure. Left unchecked, they often sink into things that cannot truly sustain us—success, approval, comfort, control, or distraction. These things may seem life-giving for a season, but they cannot provide the lasting nourishment our souls need.

Our roots are truly grounded in Jesus when He becomes our greatest love - when He is the one we instinctively run to when we are stressed or overwhelmed, when we look to Him for our identity and purpose, and when His truth becomes the steady focus of our hearts and minds. Being rooted in Christ means more than knowing about Him. It means that His presence, His grace, and His gospel begin to shape every part of our lives, from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep.

So, if you want to know whether you are rooted in Christ, start by asking a different question: What do I love most?

Our Roots and Our Fruit

The psalmists proceeds to list three good things that are the result of being rooted in “the law of the Lord” (the gospel). 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.” – Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV)

Roots don’t produce fruit. Roots don’t even contribute to seen beauty of a tree. The primary job of a tree’s roots is simply to be channels for the nutrients that a tree is rooted in. When a tree is rooted in the right place, not only can it survive dry seasons, but it can produce good things. It can be a place if beauty, life, and rest to the world around it. When our lives are rooted in the streams of the gospel, we can not only survive the dry seasons of but produce good things. We can be a place of beauty, life, and rest.

A Place of Beauty – “everything he does prospers” - When the dry season comes, the acacia tree is often the only tree to survive. In fact, it often experiences some of its fastest periods of growth during these dry and lifeless seasons. Because of where it’s rooted, the acacia tree can prosper when everything around it dies. In the Bible, the words prosper and beauty are often used in similar contexts. They are used to communicate things that are good. Or more specifically the ways things should be. Amid a bleak desert canvas, the acacia tree is a place of beauty. A reminder of the way things should be (a place full of life not death). When we are rooted in the right place, we can also be a place of beauty in a dying and broken world. A reflection of the goodness and beauty of God.

A Place of Life – “yield fruit in season” - Fruit is not only a sign of life but it is also a source of life. Galatians 5:22-23 clearly outlines what fruit the believer should be producing “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” It is only when we are rooted in the gospel, that our lives will be able to produce good fruit in every season (even the dry ones). We will be able to yield the fruit of kindness when our kids are having a rough day. We will be able to yield the fruit of joy when life feel overwhelming and weary. We will be able to yield the fruit of self-control when we our kids test our patience. As the Spirit works in us to bring forth good fruit, we will be able to be a place of life to those around us.

A Place of Rest – “whose leaf does not wither” - When the hot desert sun causes everything to wither and die, the acacia tree is one of the few plants that stays leafy and green. Withering is the result of prolonged exhaustion with no rest or nourishment. We often find ourselves withering when we feel completely depleted and empty. However, rest is the opposite of withering. Rest is the result of be complete and full. For example, God rested on the seventh day because creation was complete. The picture of a person’s leaf not withering is a picture of rest. When we find our completeness in Jesus, not only will we not wither but can we be a place of rest.

Where we are rooted matters deeply. Our roots determine what sustains us, what stabilizes us, and ultimately what shapes the fruit of our lives. We can’t always see someone’s roots at first glance—but over time, the fruit makes them visible.

Our roots are where we look for life. They are the things we truly love, what we depend on, and what we believe will satisfy us. If our lives are rooted in comfort, then we will always be looking for life in what is comfortable. If our lives are rooted in success, then we will always be looking for life in our accomplishments. But if our lives are rooted in Jesus (the author of life, the word of God, and the living water) that we can not only survive but thrive in our broken world.