Stormproof

"Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor"

Franklin D Roosevelt

What would life be like if there were no storms, trials, hardships or difficulties? Is there any such thing as an easy life, and if there was, would that be a good thing?

Scientists studied the way that plants grew in a biome, a protected environment with constant temperature, a pleasant climate and no strong winds. It sounds ideal, but they noticed that the trees never flourished and never reached their full potential because there was never any reason for them to develop strong nourishing roots.

This got me thinking and inspired a series of work exploring this concept and looking at what it means to be "stormproof"

"Deeply rooted" (pictured on the left) is about the fact that deep solid roots help a tree to grow tall and strong enough to weather the storms.

Colossians 2v6 encourages us to live a life rooted in love and nourished by truth.

" Continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith and overflowing with thankfulness."

Although we can do very little to control the storms we face, we can control the way we respond to them.

The lyrics from Brian Doerksen's song " Faithful One" talk about this...

"Throughout the storm, Your love is the anchor. My hope is in you alone"

Storms will come.... and storms will pass, but God's love remains firm, steady and constant. A solid anchor, unshakable and unchangeable.

The picture titled "Safe Anchor" (right) is a reminder of this truth.

"Cornerstone" by Hillsong is another song that captures this "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' love and righteousness..... through the storm, he is Lord, Lord of all"

We need Firm foundations, Strong anchors and Deep roots.... it matters WHAT it is we are rooted in, where our security lies and what our hope is built on. These are the things that give us strength during the storms of life.

Jesus told a parable about a wise and foolish builder in Matthew 7v24-25

"anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the flood waters rise it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock."

Deep roots. Strong anchors. Firm foundations. Stormproof.

These three pictures are available as limited edition giclee prints in my Etsy shop