Roots of Faith

It was not a very early hike, just before mid-morning. Birds sang out in chorus, not just a simple echo of a mating call or the announcement of a stranger in the woods, but an all out symphony of tweets, chirps, caws and whistles, woven together in nature’s awe-producing theatre of wildlife entertaining themselves. I had ambled up a short grade to an overlook of the valley from a group of rock outcroppings. It was time for a break. A black birch caught my eye. It was jutting out from a crack in the side of a room size boulder. The trunk appeared swollen in comparison to the roots, which disappeared into a crevice about the width of my hand. How deep and how far spread this anchoring system reached into the rock could not be known. What was displayed was the tenacity and strength of the system that allowed the birch to tower some twenty five to thirty feet upward. Before I could begin to further investigate its structure up close, wondering how it managed to stay upright, a gentle breeze creased my neck and I somehow understood the tree being solidly grounded in the faithfulness of God.

It was here then, that I began to wonder about my own faith, how deep it reaches into the foundation of my body, soul, and mind. What is it anchored in? How thick are the roots? Have I made faith the verb it can be intended to be and do I live in that faith of being? The tree cannot question any of these things, yet it continues to survive and thrive in the most unusual of circumstances. And here at times I question and doubt some of the simplest of notions and ideas that should be firmly held in confidence!

Any time I encounter the subject of faith, I am brought without hesitation to the name of Peter. Cephas. The Rock. Here – this tree rooted in the rock – is yet another reminder to bring awareness to any situation I encounter, where doubt and uneasiness are present and seem to be conquering my self-assurance and confidence. Just as the foundation of the tree, the roots, are firmly gripping the rock to allow it to serve its purpose by reaching out to the world and being alive; my own actions must be anchored in faith, allowing me to grow in understanding and assuredness that God is being faithful to me, allowing me to serve my purpose while reaching out to the world and being alive. And so as I continue my hike through this time, I will strive to make faith the verb it is intended to be; walking with God and Christ. Perhaps then I might have a better chance of living in the faith of Being.