Think
Green!
Spring is one of my favorite seasons,
and green has always been one of my favorite colors. Springtime arrives early in Arizona. Amazingly, even the desert turns green at this time of the year.
All of the dry, dead-looking plants come alive, and the ground is covered with a lush carpet of vegetation nurtured by winter
rains. No wonder the ancient Egyptians considered green to be a sacred, joyous color. Green is the universal color of nature
and spring. Green signifies life, healing, renewal, hope, and growth.
Growth is a natural progression
of development bringing change and leading toward maturity. If you eat, rest, exercise and stay healthy, then you will grow.
But in addition to physical growth, we need to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Paul the Apostle said: "And we
pray…that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work,
growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great
endurance and patience with joy." (Colossians 1:9-11)
Later, Paul adds: "As ye have therefore
received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in Him." (Colossians 2:6-7) Notice that Paul uses the
word "rooted." Like tender young plants, we need to be rooted in a firm foundation and nourished by the refreshing water of
life in order to grow up healthy and strong. As Christians, we are rooted in Christ.
How deep are your roots? Are they
shallow, making it easy to bend and break? Or do your roots extend deep, making a solid support that will weather the worst
storms and survive the longest droughts? According to Psalm 1, he who deeply roots himself in the law of the Lord and meditates
upon the Word of God "shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his
leaf also shall not wither." God desires that we grow deep roots in Christ.
Just like plants, everyone sprouts
and grows at different rates. Some people who became Christians only a short while ago have already grown a lot. Others who
have been saved for quite some time are taking longer to grow. Either way, fast or slow, our relationship with God should
be an ongoing process of growth. Even if we have setbacks, every day is another opportunity to begin again. I know that I
still have a lot of growing to do. In doing so, I will strive to "Think Green" all year-round.
Copyright (c) 2006 by Emanuel Khokhar