Rooted
Roots are wildly important for the survival and growth of a tree. They absorb water and nutrients and provide stability and strength by anchoring the tree into the soil. And while humans do not have physical roots we do have emotional and relational ones. When we fill our minds and bodies, whether intentionally or not, with beliefs about ourselves and others it deeply impacts our lives.
Everyone has biases and beliefs that are based on our upbringing. Some of them are so ingrained in our minds and bodies that we do not know they are there. Once when I was young, I heard my aunt talking about how obesity and disease is a norm in our family. For years I lived my life as if being unhealthy was inevitable and treated my body like it was untrustworthy and bad. This lie that I believed deeply affected my health and also my confidence. Out of this lie I believed I was not beautiful or healthy or good. I didn't make a verbal or intentional agreement but the lie rooted itself into my mind without me even realizing it. Lies are sneaky and they often disguise themselves as realistic faux-truths hidden under emotional baggage.
It is super easy to accept the lies and live in agreement with them because weeding them out can feel impossible and overwhelming because we don’t even realize they are there. Not only do we have agreements that we aren't aware of but some of them are so fundamental for our lives, to weed them out can feel like a huge life-altering event.
Through grace and truth, we can take one weed at a time and trace the lie to their roots. The first step is to ask ourselves what lies we are believing, and as a Jesus-follower I find it important to take this to God. There are hints all over our lives of the lies we believe because our roots provide the nourishment which fuels us. So the fruit we produce is representative of our roots. For example, the fruit of the lie that I was believing is that I did not treat my body like it was good with intentional movement and foods that make me feel good. The second step for faith people, is asking for forgiveness for believing the lie. Third, replace the lies with truth! The truth about my body is that it is wonderfully made and worthy of good things! I fight for this truth by continually learning how to treat my body well and having confidence in its worth. Sometimes the lie sneaks back into my mind, and I have to go through these steps to weed it out again! It's a continual process and can be hard but it is worth it, you are worth it.
