Stay Planted

Celebrating our family’s 8-year anniversary this month at Common Ground Church.
What a journey it has been.

Some of my little thoughts on staying planted:

It’s easy to want to pack up and leave sometimes. Don’t quit. Stay faithful.

It’s easy to want to pack up and leave sometimes. Don’t quit. Stay faithful.


When you are so full you’re bored, serve. When you’re empty from serving, rest and refill.
Mentor someone.
Don’t be late! Show up early enough that you can get to know others.
Linger afterwards to make connections.
Host those connections in your home or outside of the church walls.

I wish I could find the blog I read last year (in 2020) about staying planted. I stumbled across it and have searched for it since- but it talked about how most families get a 5 year itch. Every 5 years or so they feel themselves in a transition so they uproot and they leave their church (or this even applies to a job/career) and in leaving… they never truly see the fruit of all their faithfulness in that role or places they served- with a repeated pattern of doing this, they spend their life wondering why they aren’t getting anywhere or seeing their ministry/job flourish.

Should you stay planted through your transitions, through every season, like a tree that’s planted by the water – you could wake up one day… hitting your 15 or 20 year anniversary, surrounded and blessed, dripping with fruit.

Should you stay planted through your transitions, through every season, like a tree that’s planted by the water – you could wake up one day… hitting your 15 or 20 year anniversary, surrounded and blessed, dripping with fruit.

I imagine those trees with the huge giant green textured balls that fall in Autumn. (Osage Apple/ or Horse Apple?) They’re so heavy! You could fill baskets and baskets of them.

Sure you may not have all the money or even the position you had dreamed of, but did you raise up anyone behind you? Did you help that 20 year old grow and mature by setting a strong example? Maybe you were a voice for those without the courage to speak. Maybe they stuck it out because you did too.

The fruit of your faithfulness may not be measured how you always imagined.

Seek Him first… and all these things will be added unto you.

Seek Him! God will never tell you to uproot because of offense or because things FEEL- “Eh”. HE WONT.
If anything- there is a HUGE lesson that you are supposed to learn, or more than likely, you are to be humbled, so that you can grow or gain further perspective.

When I look back on the places I have served, God has shown me the fruit of how those were stepping stones. Each place gave me an opportunity to grow into the woman I am today. I’m walking HIS path for my life.

 

ALL IN- for HIM- so that HE will be glorified.

“He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree planted by God’s design, deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss, bearing fruit in every season of his life. He is never dry, never fainting, ever blessed, ever prosperous.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Rachael Strickland

A little something about me! Well, I LOVE to sing and have been leading others in worship since I was 11 years old. Music has always been a huge part of my life, whether I’m singing a ridiculous version of opera while washing the dishes or leading worship for the multitudes. I’ve always had a strong desire to be a light and lead the way, and I have served wholeheartedly at CommonGround church for over 10 years.