(Photo by Brittney Perez and Edited by Selma Komisky)

Purposeful Planting

By Brittney Perez

Ever walked by a stream of water? It’s such a peaceful experience. There’s something about the sound of trickling water that is simply refreshing. I live by a park that has a creek running through it, and I walk there daily. One day, as I was walking by the creek, I remember everything looking perfect. It was mid afternoon and the way the sun was hitting the leaves on the trees and the grass by the creek was stunning. It was early spring at this point and the leaves were that “new” green, and everything just seemed illuminated by the sun. I was so captivated by the beauty of God’s creation. I remember that day feeling a bit overwhelmed in my thoughts. I felt a tug to walk on the grass by the stream. It was in that moment I was reminded that Jesus, “…makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul” (Psalm 23:2-3a NIV).

As I looked at the trees located on the bank by the creek, another verse came to mind: “but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:2-3 NIV).

In life, we see the goodness of delighting ourselves in the Lord and meditating on His Word day and night as this Scripture says the blessed do. When we meditate on God’s Word we are described as being like a tree planted by streams of water. What’s cool about trees is that, in times of drought, they dig their roots down deeper because that’s where the water supply is. Just like the trees, we too, need to dig deep into the Lord from Whom we draw strength during the various seasons of life. By meditating on God’s Word, day and night, we can be refreshed and restored, prepared for the journeys God plans out for us. How we need refreshment! It can be so easy to get caught up in complacency and the mundane.

In Genesis 26:19 (NIV), we read: “Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there.”

Even in the valleys, water can be found by digging deep! May we continue to be a people that keeps digging deep into Jesus so that we can be restored and strengthened to weather the seasons, which may at times cause us to feel dry, and bear fruit. We dig deep by being in His Word and communicating with Him through prayer. Notice again what it says in Psalm 1. It is the person who “meditates on his law day and night” that is compared to being like a tree planted by streams of water. That person yields fruit in season, does not have a leaf that withers, and prospers in whatever they do. How important it is to spend time with Jesus in His Word! It’s only in Christ that we will find true contentment and the refreshment to keep moving forward. Let’s dig our roots down deep! May we be like those trees planted by streams of water and yield much fruit.