Over the years, we’ve had several banana trees in our yard here in Southeast Asia. We love bananas, so it’s always exciting to see the big banana flower grow on the tree, then the smaller flowers that turn into the bananas themselves. We’ve harvested some large, beautiful bunches of bananas over the years.

One day we came home to find that a banana tree with a large bunch of not-quite-ripe bananas had fallen over under the weight of the fruit. This has become quite common, and we’ve learned that banana trees have very shallow root systems, which don’t always hold up to the weight of the fruit that they grow.

The depth of the roots determine whether the tree flourishes or falls under the weight of the fruit.

Friends, the same is true for us. When we find ourselves involved in any type of ministry, the depth of our roots will determine whether we flourish or fall under the weight of the fruit we bear. It is essential that our roots go deep down into the rich soil of abiding with Christ in order for us to maintain spiritual and emotional health that can sustain an abundant harvest.

When we prioritize doing for God over being with God, we may be fruitful, but we will surely fall under the weight of it.

Why else would some of the most successful pastors and ministry leaders end up burned out and depressed? Their ministry appeared fruitful, but their roots aren’t deep enough to keep from becoming overwhelmed by what they produce. We must guard our hearts and take care of our roots.

So how do we do this? How do we grow deep enough roots that we don’t end up toppling over under the weight of fruitfulness? Many times we think that reading the Word and spending time in prayer is enough. But even with a steady devotional life, we can struggle to have healthy roots. Here are three things we can see from the life of Jesus that can guide us towards healthy roots.

1. Get Alone
   • We read over and over again in the gospels that Jesus “went by himself to pray.” (Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Mark 6:46, Luke 4:42) We live in a day and age where we are constantly connected. Whether physically or virtually, interaction with people takes a toll on our souls and it’s imperative that we prioritize solitude. This might mean turning off your cell phone for a certain time each day, silencing notifications, or scheduling “appointments” to just be alone. Maybe you need a weekly morning or afternoon to clear the schedule and just be with God. Maybe it’s time for a retreat or even a sabbatical. If Jesus needed to get away and be alone with the Father on a regular basis, how much more do our souls need to disconnect and get away to really hear His voice? We must make time regularly to get alone, get quiet, and get still before God, for it’s only in that quiet place that He can truly restore our weary souls.
2. Get Rest
   • This might seem like a no-brainer, but how many of us when asked how we’re doing respond with, “good, but busy“?? We are so often distracted, tired, busy, and overwhelmed with all the tasks on our to-do list that we neglect the rest that God designed for us through creating a Sabbath day and commanding us to keep it holy. I know many people involved in ministry do not have a restful day on Sundays, but we can carve out other times in our schedule to observe a Sabbath rest. Jesus says in Mark 2:27 “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.” God designed Sabbath to meet a deep need we have for rest and delight in Him. Setting aside 12 to 24 hours each week to stop working and to rest and delight in God’s provision and presence renews our souls in a way nothing else can and helps our roots grow down deep in His sustaining mercy.
3. Get Boundaries
   • Jesus knew what His task on this earth was. He knew when to say “yes” to the crowds and to public ministry, and He knew when He needed to say “no” and embrace limits. He understood that He didn’t answer to people, He answered to the Father. How often do we over-extend ourselves trying to do what we think others expect of us (or even what we expect of ourselves) without ever asking the Father if those things are what He’s truly asking us to do? God made us with limits for a reason- embrace them! Setting healthy boundaries for what we can and can not do in a season helps us to keep our roots healthy as we recognize that the One guiding our steps never says we have to do it all.

There is more that we could add to this list, but I pray this is a starting place for you to begin to consider how your roots are and what you can do to tend to them. As we desire to bear much fruit for the kingdom, may we not forget to tend to our own roots, making sure they are deep and strong enough to sustain the fruitfulness we ask for.

When we moved into our current home overseas, we inherited many fruit trees that we didn’t plant. While this is an unexpected blessing, neither my husband nor I are gardeners and the task of tending to the bounty we’ve been given has come with a steep learning curve. In our process of learning about fruit trees, there have been several lessons I’ve learned that have spiritual parallels. (It’s no coincidence Jesus often used stories about fields and vines and fruit to teach about the Kingdom.) This month I want to share a few of those lessons with you.

Fruitfulness is Messy

We have a lovely plum tree that produces plums once a year in the spring. This past May, as I picked the first of our plum harvest off the tree I was reminded-

fruitfulness is messy.

The plums needed to be washed thoroughly before we could bite into them. Some of the plums didn’t make the cut because worms decided to make their home inside and they had to be tossed out. As I reached through the branches heavy with plums, I’d often end up with insects falling on my arms and into my hair. My fingers would be stained purple from the juices. Just because we finally see fruit doesn’t mean the work is over.

We often long for fruitfulness- for the seeds we plant to grow into something beautiful- but when the fruit we so desired ends up being imperfect and messy, it’s easy for us to question whether our labor was worth it.

When we look at the life of Jesus, we see an incredibly fruitful ministry. People were being healed, delivered, restored, and set apart for the Kingdom. But it was messy. There was persecution and betrayal. Many who followed Jesus ended up turning away from Him. Jesus’s life was filled with imperfect, messy people who brought Him both joy and grief as He loved and taught them and washed their dirty feet. Why would we think it would be any different for us?

Personally, our family is living in a season of beautiful fruitfulness in ministry that we have prayed for many years to see. And as grateful as we are for it, the reality is that we don’t get to just sit back and enjoy the fruit- there is still much work to be done. I have had moments of frustration and overwhelm when the Lord has had to remind me not to despise what I prayed for.

Fruitfulness, no matter how much we desire it or how long we prayed for it, is still hard work.

We must expect messy fruit. Be prepared to wash dusty feet and embrace broken hearts and get dirty from the harvest you get to reap. Know that some of the fruit may not last, and that’s ok. We plant, we water, but He gives the increase.

“It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.” -1 Cor. 3:7-8

May we be humble enough to give thanks for imperfect, messy fruit.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways higher than my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts that your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

“God, I do not understand what You’re doing here.”

We have all said those words before.  Whether we have actually uttered them allowed or just thought them; either way, we have all been in a place where the circumstances around us did not seem like God would have chosen it for a child that He loves.

Maybe you have continued with a sentiment such as, “Did I do something wrong?” or “I didn’t do anything wrong.”  There are certainly times when our circumstances are the direct result of our own decisions but other times it really does feel like no matter how we try to effect it to the contrary, our world just seems to be spiraling out of control.

It is tempting in these times to wonder if God is actually in control.  It’s tempting to ask Him if He’s watching events unfold-to wonder if we’ve been forgotten.  As mature Christians, we know better but the enemy still likes to taunt us with the thought.  For just a moment, or maybe longer, we feel unimportant and unseen by God.

There is a song by the Collinsworth Family called Your Ways Are Higher Than Mine.  I will link it below.  In the chorus one line says “I want mountains to move but You want me to climb.”  When I am focusing on my circumstances I often think that this cannot be what God wants for my life but then I read this verse and I remember that He is not only walking beside me but He is also looking down from above.  Allow me to explain.  

My perspective is on eye level with the difficulty so for me, it’s hard to see much else.  God can see so much more than I can.  He can see how what I am walking through is affecting those around me as well as the effect it will have on my own life over time.  He sees the growth and the faith that this time is building in me.  Even as I write that, it’s really not very comforting for what I’m dealing with right now but it’s true nonetheless.

Another thing that God showed me about this time came from a nature documentary.  LOL He can use anything, I guess.  I’ve been teaching my students about the life cycle recently so I decided to do some further research to prepare myself for the inevitable deeper questions that I always get from my 4th graders.  The documentary pointed out that all of life on earth is in a constant life cycle.  The sunflower in my students’ notes starts as a seed that must die and break down in order to germinate which then grows into a plant that must eventually die in order to give seeds back to the ground and fertilize the soil so it can start all over again.  The seasons are a cycle of death leading back to life.

Our lives follow this same divine pattern that God gave the flowers and the seasons.  Seasons in our lives must end in order for us to grow.  We have to lose things sometimes in order to make room for more and new blessings.  This time, that hurts so much right now, is the fertilizer that will nourish next year’s blessings.

Could God have chosen to do things differently?  I don’t know.  Maybe He could.  Maybe this was the only way it would work.  What really matters is that we know that He is not only in control and attentive to us, but He is also capable and trustworthy.  He sees us.  He loves us and we can trust Him to do what is best for us.

The climb over your mountain is difficult and often heartbreaking but God knows what He’s doing and He is climbing right by your side.  Don’t stop, my friend, and I won’t either.  See you at the top, girl.

Father, I will not stop. I will keep climbing knowing that You are with me but help me when I want to. When the difficulty and hurt in this season threaten to be heavier than I can carry. Help me to take one more step each time for You are faithful and You see me.