“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding there with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7).

Alarms were sounding on the smart phones and computers. The voice on the warning system blared, “This is a dangerous situation that is setting up. The low pressure system is intensifying, and winds are expected to be in excess of 70 to 80 miles per hour. A high wind warning has been issued for our part of the country,” the voice continued. Sarah looked at her children who were quite frightened. “Come to me, my little loved ones. Don’t be afraid. We will be fine. We’ll sit here in the middle of our house and listen to some of your favorite children’s gospel songs, and we will be fine,” Mom assured her children. The storm raged on for nearly an hour. During that time Mommy and her children prayed and sang. They quoted some of the verses they had learned in JOY Club. Overhead they heard branches hitting the house and a loud cracking noise. When the storm subsided, they discovered that the oak tree in their backyard was still standing. However the maple tree they had planted many years ago was uprooted and lying on its side. Dad came home early from work and seized the opportunity. He reminded his family, “We will face storms in our lives just like the storm that blew through our neighborhood. But we can face those storms because we are learning more about the Lord Jesus as we read the Bible, pray, go to church, and have our devotions together. We are kind of like the oak tree that is deeply rooted, not like the maple.” He hugged his children and his wife.

For today: Being rooted and grounded in Christ does not mean that we have no emotions or are indifferent when storms come. It just means that we don’t blow away!