Ground Roots

'...anything that puts up shoots faster than it puts down roots is fragile and in danger of breaking, falling, or dying.' - ODB Daily Devotional 05/09/08

I posted this on my personal blog this morning, but thought I'd share it here as well. I love that quote. I love it because it applies to so many things in our lives. Our schooling, our talents, our personalities, our relationships (with God and man), houses & buildings, everything. A firm foundation is so necessary to maintain stability.

I was having a reminiscent conversation with a friend the other day and I was reminded of our beginnings. We have been through quite a lot in our relatively short lives and have come out closer and stronger because of it. Why? I believe our beginning has something to do with it. We spent quite a lot of time getting into the heart of each other, knowing the 'nitty-gritty' of each other, understanding our motivations, dislikes and likes and how to genuinely handle each other. By the time people saw us together it's like we had been friends from we were two, but we weren't, we just took the time to grow our roots, and let me tell you, they didn't grow overnight.

It's a critical element in any solid career, in any solid family, in any solid friendship, including our relationship with God. The shoots are all the flairs that people see, but they won't last long, remain beautiful, or withstand great stress without a fully grown and deep rooted foundation.