During Bible Study one night our discussion led to a topic of hair cutting.  One of the gals shared how she used the “unicorn” strategy to cut her hair.  Now, what you must know is that she had been doing this for maybe two decades.  Her hair always looked beautiful and very becoming to her face.  So, I thought I would give it a try a week later!  A few things I failed to think about:  1) That I had never done this and 2) I should have written these directions down or watched a YouTube video!  Well, it didn’t go horribly, but it didn’t go superbly, either.  I sat with a friend two days later whom I had not seen in several months; she just happened to be a hairdresser.  She looked at me and complimented me on my new hair style, that it was very flattering to my face.  But then also said, with her head partially cocked to the side, “but something isn’t quite right”.  I hung my head and sheepishly confessed to having cut it myself a few days earlier.  She said, “ah, it’s not that bad, I can fix it!”  I was relieved that it wasn’t a total travesty.  What I did realize in that moment was that my hair cutting roots were very shallow and my hairdresser friend had deep hair cutting roots.  So much so that she recognized the flaws I didn’t see, but saw redemption!  She represented the depth that a mentor would have.  I likened this realization to spiritual mentorship and what Paul addresses with the Colossians when he writes these words from his prison cell in Rome:  “So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude”  (Colossians 2:6-7).

A question I have to consistently ponder is whether my life choices and actions match what I say?   Does your walk match your talk?  In the secret spaces of our thoughts, motives, and passions, is there evidence of being built up in Christ?  Is there an overflow of the fruits of the Spirit in your life?  So, how do you ensure this is happening?  A good place to start is to be held accountable by a trusted friend who will ask you the hard questions, or guide you into deeper waters of trusting God?  Are you being discipled by an older and wiser woman?  Or are you trying to walk the journey alone?  If you have chosen to do the Christian walk alone, I caution you that isolation is Satan’s playground.   We are treading on destructive and misleading ground if we think we can walk this Christian life alone, or without accountability.  My Discipleship Leader in college taught me this in my early years as a believer, and I have found it to be very real.  Today, my mentor asks me the hard questions, she pushes me out of my comfort zone, and challenges me to seek Christ first, and that I recognize Him to be enough in my life.  Accountability is the difference between deep roots and shallow roots.  Deep roots will withstand the unpredictable challenges of life when they come and all that the enemy throws to tear you down.  Shallow roots will lead to poor choices, destructive patterns, depression and anxiety, to name just a few.  

So, what does Paul mean here when he says, “Rooted and Overflowing”? Its Accountability, Discipleship and Thanksgiving! These are the tools the Holy Spirit uses to develop deep roots that allow us to endure, persevere, and overflow with the fruits of the spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. There is joy in this journey.  Have you experienced it? Who is holding you accountable on this journey? 

It is my prayer that each of you will be rooted deeply in Christ so you will withstand the lies of the enemy and overflow with thanksgiving.  If you are not in an accountability position with an older and wiser woman, I encourage you to seek God for the right person.  The kind who will say the hard stuff and ask the hard questions.  I pray that isolation will not be your M.O. anymore if it has been.  And, may the Lord grow you all in your discipling of others.  There is joy in this journey if we allow ourselves to go deep!  To God be the glory, forever and ever, Amen.

Joyfully Healing From the Inside Out,