Well it's that time of year again! We finished celebrating our Thanksgiving weekend by putting up our Christmas tree. It is the same tree my husband I have had since our first Christmas together. A little three foot shabby thing I got for $3 at a yard sale because we couldn't afford much. I didn't realize at the time my dear hubby was such a sentimentalist or I might have held out for a bigger tree to begin with. I spent several years wishing and dreaming of getting a bigger fancier tree but, this year especially, have come to love our little "Charlie Brown" tree. It's the simplicity of it really that appeals to me now. The simplicity of not having to stress over hours and hours of decorating it, the simplicity of being able to change how it is decorated each year without spending a fortune to do so. And this simplicity also helps us as a family to focus on why we are really celebrating Christmas at all.


As we decorate, we talk to our children about the symbolism of all that we are doing. We explain to them that the evergreen tree symbolizes the everlasting life we receive by believing that Jesus is the son of God and died on the cross for our sins.


We always put the lights and the garland on first. My kiddos have this one down pat, when asked why we do this they remember "Because Jesus is the light of the world!" As we place ornaments on the tree, I like to think of them as symbolizing all the many blessings God bestows on us throughout the year.

By Phyllis Ducey of pfdoriginalartworks

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

Have you ever had someone pop into your thoughts for no logical reason? Maybe someone you are close to or maybe a person you have not seen in years. When that happens I may spend a few minutes wondering why on earth did that person come to mind? And usually there is no good reason on earth that they did. But perhaps there is a good reason not of earthly origin.

My thought is that possibly God wanted me to be praying for that person. But the question is: what to pray? When in doubt pray as St. Paul did for the Ephesians. If the person does not have a faith in Christ, pray that they may “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” That is the most valuable prayer you can offer up for them.

If the person already has a love for Christ… it can never be deep enough. Praying that they are rooted and established in His love is a powerful prayer. A tree needs roots to survive. They supply water and nutrients in order that it may grow and prosper. In addition, the roots hold the tree in place. It becomes well established as the roots multiply and grow. The deeper the roots, the better the tree can hold its own against winds and storms.

We too need our spiritual roots to be deep. In our day and age there is great number of spiritual gurus that sound good, have similar principles but do not lead to Christ. They may lead to living a better life and may help a person be kinder and more thoughtful but without Christ, there is no eternity. That is why deepening our roots is so important…to hold us firm during the winds of change and the storms of our lives.

I encourage you to write these words of Paul inspired by God on your hearts. Pray them not only for others but for yourself. And plant yourself by streams of living water by reading God’s Word daily and spending quality time with Him in prayer. Be prepared for the storms of life… create deep roots.

Rooted Necklace by 31thirteen

Tree of Life painting by Jessadee77

Tree with Root cards by pfdoriginalartworks

Tree of life sterling silver necklace by holmescraft

El Dorado painting by CampbellJane

Grand Entrance painting by Kre80r

Tree of Life for Life by Glitterup

By Phyllis Ducey of pfdoriginalartworks