Julie Chen Photography

{Art available HERE}

I know I’ve told all of you before how obsessed I am with trees. Branches, leaves, roots, blossoms… I love it all. In college I kept a pile of branches under my bunk which I would use to sew sticks as frames to my paintings and I also had books full of leaves being pressed which I would collage into my art.

 

These roots I photographed in Colorado while on our first family camping trip. LOVE!

 

I love how in God’s Word there are so many tree/leaf/fruit analogies we can learn from and grow in. This promise in Jeremiah is so powerful. It is essentially saying anyone who trusts in the Lord will be like a peaceful tree full of life.

 

In the last month, the theme of roots has repeatedly come up in my personal life and that is why I have chosen this verse to be half price today.

 

I recently went on a field trip with my daughter’s first grade class {in which they dressed me up as a flower btw!} & we went to the forest to study plants. Our first station was dissecting acorns & I had never realized how cool it is that the roots begin to grow RIGHT AWAY & they are soooo tiny {hairlike really} & yet SO STRONG! Roots are the source of nutrients thus bringing about life. When your roots are strong, you are strong. When roots are cut or broken or diseased, the entire plant/tree/life will be effected also.

A week after the field trip, we had a little sewage back up in our basement. {YUCK!} It turns out roots were in the pipes… did you realize tree roots are so strong that they can grow through metal pipes?! That is just crazy to me. A root literally starts as fine as hairs & grow so thick and strong they can effect pipes and foundations.

 

In any case, roots are important. So it got me thinking:

What is my life rooted in? What are my desires rooted in? What are my motives rooted in? What are my words rooted in? What are my actions rooted in? What is my self-esteem rooted in?

Of course, my desire is to be firmly rooted in Jesus Christ, but honestly so often I am rooted in selfishness and pride {me, me, me}.

I challenge you to take a look at the different areas of your life & think about what are YOU truly rooted in?

Then think through how you can grow your roots to be healthy & strong & bear fruit.

 

Today only I am offering the Jeremiah 17 8×10 print HALF PRICE!

Just head on over to my Facebook page & leave a comment if you would like one & I will bill you.

 

Grace & Peace,

Julie