Get Rooted: Week 2 of The Uncommon Normal #GratitudeRipples Challenge
I’ve been lingering in the books of 1, 2, and 3 John for weeks, tracing a thread running through all three epistles. This is where getting still leads me: to relationship with our Father. It’s where the overflowing begins—with the deep, deep connection to God. Making space for Him to dwell. Leaning forward to listen. Coming closer, closer, closer.
When we “[know] him by intimate experience” (1 John 3:6 TPT) it changes the affections of our hearts. What we move toward, and away from. How we think, love, live.
We’re loved. Called God’s “beloved children” (1 John 3:18 TPT) and His “delightfully loved friends” (1 John 3:21 TPT). Invited to “always be living in close fellowship with the Son and with the Father” (1 John 2:24 TPT). To “look with wonder at the depth of the Father’s marvelous love that he has lavished on us!” (1 John 3:1 TPT).
This is the love that erases the lies we’ve long believed about ourselves. Lies like we’re not good enough and it’s all up to us. It’s the uncontainable current of healing grace. A tender embrace in our weakest moments.
Let’s read a few verses from 1 John chapter 4:
Those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another, because God is love. Everyone who loves is fathered by God and experiences an intimate knowledge of him.
The one who doesn’t love has yet to know God, for God is love.
The light of God’s love shined within us when he sent his matchless Son into the world so that we might live through him.
This is love: He loved us long before we loved him. It was his love, not ours. He proved it by sending his Son to be the pleasing sacrificial offering to take away our sins.
Delightfully loved ones, if he loved us with such tremendous love, then “loving one another” should be our way of life!
vv. 7-11 TPT
Notice how it’s God’s love for us that leads us to love Him back, to love the people around us. Our kindness and noticing, our making space and generosity, our humility and encouraging words—they’ll all the overflow of first being loved.
The being leads to the doing, not the other way around. We love because we’ve experienced love when we didn’t deserve it and were powerless to earn it.
When we know the way we make God’s eyes smile, we see the people near us in a different light. When we hear the way God talks about us, we talk about others differently.
If we want the beautiful things of God to ripple out from our lives, we have to be closely connected to the God Who is Love. That’s why our focus for this second week of the #GratitudeRipples challenge is to get rooted deep into Christ. To first experience Him so we can then imitate Him.
From stillness, we root deep
We will maintain the posture of expectant stillness we practiced last week as we get rooted this week. Where can you carve out a few minutes each day to sit and turn your ear in God’s direction? What helps you quiet the mental checklists and come, tender and open, into God’s presence?
One of my favorite ways to reconnect with God is to turn a worship song on repeat. The repetition helps me to linger, soak in the words, let the truths sung root deep into my heart.
I also take my work outside whenever the weather allows. The sun and breeze on my face remind me of just how near God is. The fresh air fills my lungs, reminding me that God is closer than the breath I take. This time of year, rich colors reluctantly letting go of the trees remind me that God loves to make us smile.
A third rhythm that’s been instrumental in growing deep roots in my life is simply spending time with God every morning. Years ago, I adapted the structure of Emily P. Freeman’s morning routine to include keeping an ongoing gratitude list. Here’s what it looks like for me:
1) Prayer—I wrote a short prayer in the front of my journal that I pray every day.
Lord, I release my plans for today—the things I want to get done, the things I feel I ought to do. I release the cloud of “behind” I’ve been walking beneath. I release my excuses and the things emptying me. I release my worry; I release the tension in my voice; I release the things I’ve held in closed fists. I give You my words, my work, and my worship. I surrender to You today.
2) Read—I read a section of a chapter, typically from my paperback of The Passion Translation.
3) Write—I write out a verse or two that I want to mull over and add a few lines to my gratitude journal.
4) Read—I read a few pages of a spiritual formation book. If I have time, I’ve read a bit more.
5) Pray—I end in prayer–offering thanks for what I discovered about God, lifting requests up to Him, and inviting God into the rest of my day.
If you don’t have a morning routine you love, you’re welcome to borrow this structure or adapt it so it works better for you.
Your challenge: get rooted
Your challenge for this week two of the #GratitudeRipples challenge is to make space to root down deep into Christ. Just as the root system supplies nourishment to a tree, so too does our close fellowship with Christ empower us to live a life that ripples.
Our gratitude prompts this week are
Deeper – 11/8
Even If—11/9
Abide—11/10
Follow—11/11
Fellowship—11/12
Everlasting—11/13
Closer—11/14
Spend some time with each day’s word, asking God what He wants you to learn, remember, or apply. There’s no one right way to respond. The prompts are meant to encourage you to seek God and practice listening and letting Him love you.
Friends, God’s love changes us. It opens our hearts to love Him back, and to love our neighbors well. God doesn’t just fill us, He overfills us so His love ripples out, reaches more. And that is worthy of our thanks!
May I pray before we close?
Jesus, thank you for Your love. Thank you for loving us even when we forget to say thanks. May we live deeply nourished this week as we root deep, deep into You. May we come close so we may learn to imitate You. As we say thanks this week, may we remember that gratitude affects more than just us.
By the way, if you don’t have the gratitude challenge graphic yet, right-click to save your preferred size to your device. Want to know more about the gratitude challenge? Check this post to learn more about how gratitude can have a ripple effect.
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