Grafted In

Romans 11:17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root

This time of the year is planting season at the farm I have worked at for almost 13 years. A few years ago, we started using grafted plants. People believe plant grafting has been around for 4,000 years.  The process is used to help with drought tolerance and disease resistance. In a grafted plant, it is the rootstock that allows the plant to thrive in difficult conditions.  Having a solid rootstock allows a plant to thrive when it would most likely die.

In this process of becoming full time missionaries, there are days when we temporarily lose sight of what grounds us.  The details involved with preparing to move our family to Africa are overwhelming and never ending and the emotions involved with moving our roots are so real.  When we are still and acknowledge Him, it is clear: God is the rootstock we need in our life. We are all separated from God and have no reason to be grafted into His family. We are so thankful that God continues to remind us of who we are and where we stand in His family.  Through Jesus, we are no longer separated from God. Through Jesus, we can have a personal relationship with God.

The more we have relied on our rootstock, the more we have grown and the more we have been able to share how Jesus radically changed our lives.  Worshipping Him and leaning into His Word has focused us when we didn’t know how things would turn out.

When you look at this picture think of God the Father as the rootstock and yourself as the top of the plant. When the rootstock is taken care of, everyone can see the top flourish.  There is a little piece of rubber that holds the top and rootstock together. You have to cut two different plants and bind them together. There is a scar that forms and then the plant becomes one. Think of that scar as the debt Jesus paid on the cross for all of our sins. The scar heals over time, but it must be protected and maintained. Finally, the plant becomes stronger than ever and bears fruit.

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