Have you ever seen a section of forest laid flat by the wind? This happens sometimes, all the trees pointing in the same direction, with a portion of their roots sticking out of the ground. The trees had grown up together, relying on each other for support. But when one of them fell, the rest of them followed, like dominoes laid side by side.
The strength of the trees was in their numbers, but so was their weakness. Growing close together each supported the other. But each of them also grew weak roots for they had been over-protected from the wind by their peers.
This same type of thing happens to us when we rely on others to do our thinking and feeling for us. When we leave it to the group to give us our answers—whether that group is our family, our friends, the church or larger society—we grow only weak roots to our soul. We are never sufficiently anchored in the truth of our own being, individuality, and personal experience.
All of the important decisions you face in life are ultimately directed to you as an individual, and must be answered from the depth of your own being. You can’t ride a bus into heaven. (Although you may be able to crash through the gates of hell.)
Let your roots reach deeply into the soil of your own soul. Anchor yourself in God by discovering and nurturing the unique individual you were created to be. The mature tree shares the forest with others but stands on its own.