How Strong Roots in Christ Sustain Us In Seasons of Loss

Trees send their roots deep into the soil during a drought. The purpose of the root is to bring nourishment through the trunk, delivering it to every branch and leaf. Without water there is no life. As the roots reach deeper into the ground, they do more than feed the tree; they bring stability. The further down the roots go, the higher the chance the tree has of surviving the inevitable storms.

For months, storms have intensified in my life. Loss after loss has ripped through my family and our community.

On October first, I began a full-time job at an elementary school with a huge learning curve. During my first day of training, our peaceful community was shattered by a mass shooting on a local college campus. My husband and I, both disaster relief chaplains, set up a crisis center and contacted our national office to deploy a crisis team to our town.

I spent the following days talking to media and comforting those affected by the shooting, all the while trying to adjust to a new job where parents wanted the promise of safety in a world where that promise seemed impossible to make.

Two weeks later, it became clear that my husband needed to step down from his pastoral position. Differences in philosophy not only left him without a job, but we are without a faith community for the first time in seven years.

That same day, my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. At the age of eighty-five and in declining health, he opted not to fight the disease. Our goal was simply to keep him comfortable.

Less than three months later, I sat at his bedside and said my farewell. As we held hands, he slowly slipped away. Instead of fearing his death, though, I was grateful for the life he lived. I rejoiced that we lived with a shared faith in a Savior who carried us through the darker days of life.

This series of storms continues to change us. Branches have been stripped away, and there are days where everything feels fragile. The difference between these days and the past are this: our roots have gone deeper. We have searched for pure living water, and in doing so, we’ve found strength in Christ.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

And whose hope is the Lord.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

(Jer. 17: 7- 8 NKJV)

Jemelene Wilson is a passionate storyteller who writes of faith, hope, love, and food. She’s madly in love with her pastor husband and mama bear to two daughters. Grace is a fairly new concept she is exploring with her life and words. Mama Jem believes we should live gently and love passionately. You can find more of her writing at jemelene.com.