Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s cold outside and I’m grateful for a warm kitchen to spend my time with the Living God inside looking out today. I woke up with a heavy heart this morning and it took a little Work for me to find my Joy. But when you have the Right Foundation, and you know how to Follow the Instructions for Life, Joy can be found no matter what’s going on in life. So, my heart went from heavy to overflowing in no time at all. As I looked out at this old walnut tree at sunrise, God used it to remind me of the importance of having a Firm Foundation. A hundred years or so after this tree first took root, it has a firm foundation with hundreds of limbs of growth drawing on its strength today. What a Sweet Reminder straight from the Throne of a Loving God this morning that because of my Strong Foundation hundreds of Limbs will draw from the Strength of my Faith over my Lifetime. Isn’t that the way you look at your life too?

It can be so easy to get caught up in circumstances that make the heart heavy, but we surrender our Joy when we allow that to happen, and we show signs of a weak Foundation. If this old walnut tree lacked a firm foundation, even the tiniest breeze could potentially make it fall. But its roots run deep, and the foundation is strong, and the tree has the strength to endure the storm because of it. Life is like this walnut tree. Sometimes we experience a strong wind and once in a while, we’ll even lose a limb or two in the process. But if the Roots are Deep and the Foundation is Strong, we might waiver here and there when the winds pass through, but we will never Fall. The root system is the source of the strength and longevity of this old tree, and it’s the roots that can’t even be seen with the eye that is forever digging in deeper. It’s through the root that the tree receives its nourishment, and if the roots get compromised it will cease to bear fruit and grow limbs, and eventually, it will fall. The same is true for you and me. Jesus Christ is the only way to a Strong Foundation that can endure all that life brings our way, and it’s the key to leaving a Remnant behind that will last long after we’re gone just like this old walnut tree. His word says; “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

One day this old walnut tree will have had enough and it will die as surely as I will. Nothing lives forever on this earth. There’s no way of knowing how many meals it provided to the squirrels or how many birds found refuge on its branches. There is no way of determining how many other walnut trees around this farm were planted from this one or how many strong limbs it has managed to sprout. There’s no way of counting all the prayers that were prayed over this old tree or how many times thanks were given for its beauty. There’s no way of knowing how many people sat in its shade or how many limbs have fallen over time. With a foundation strong enough to last over 100 years, it’s impossible to calculate what it has produced during its lifetime. I know that if I have a Firm Foundation and a Deep Root System, the same will be true for me and my life. There won’t be any way of calculating how many branches took Root on their own all because of my Firm Foundation, or how many new trees were planted because of mine. I won’t know how many people took refuge in my Branches or found refuge in my Shade… or how many prayers were prayed for me in my lifetime. But I DO know that the Foundation of my Faith will bear fruit for generations to come…if I stay Strong and if I’m diligent about making sure my Root is Deep enough to withstand even the strongest storm.

God used this old walnut tree to touch my heart this morning and I went from feeling downcast to Celebrating because of Him. I’ve put in the Work to secure my Foundation and my Roots are growing deeper every day. I may not get 100+ years on this earth like this walnut tree, but the Impact that my Faith will leave behind will last for all Eternity…one Branch at a time.

How about you?