Grafted into Christ

(originally published in The Daily Press - Religion section July 12, 2014)

One of the consolations for frequent flyers is the occasional first class upgrade. I prefer to sit on the window, open up a book, and shut out the rest of the world for a few hours; or at least try to give that impression. However, in a lull after the meal service on a long flight last week, the first class flight attendant saw what I was reading and struck up a conversation asking about my line of work.

A new hire, she shared that several years ago she underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost nearly 100 pounds. I was quick to congratulate her on such an accomplishment. She lamented that even with significant weight loss she still felt “fat and depressed.” Her feelings had not transformed with the image in the mirror. Her identity and thought life were trapped in her former appearance.

Many Christians experience the same quandary as this young flight attendant. As new creations in Christ, the Bible says, “the old has gone and the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17)  Yet many confess feeling stuck in the same thought patterns and behavior as before they professed faith in Christ. While eternal destiny changes at the moment of salvation, existing habit patterns and thought life continue to override until we learn to renew our mind in Christ. (Rom. 12:2) 

People consistently live out what they believe, so until internalizing the truth of what it means to be a saint in the kingdom of God, it will be difficult to think and behave much differently. Being a Christian is about who we are, not what we do. However, our “do” will change as the “who” comes into clearer focus.

Consider the following illustration: When purchasing a rose bush from your local nursery, chances are you’ll purchase a grafted rose, as opposed to an own-root rose. I discovered this much to my surprise after a hard winter’s freeze. My lovely garden of white roses inexplicably bloomed anew, one bush pink! How could that be? After doing some research I discovered that many roses are grafted into a hardy rootstock to survive extreme climate zones, as was the case here.

The point is that what was grafted on took on the nature of the root. Christians are grafted into Christ at salvation. He is our rootstock. 

At the heart of each believer is a new seed of life that is waiting to take root and sprout in his image and righteousness. (John 15:1-5; Col. 2:6-7)  Jesus said in Matthew 7:20 that “you will know them by their fruits.”

It took years to establish and attain a healthy rose garden. I diligently had to train the climbers on the arches, learn when and how to water, prune and fertilize, all the while remaining alert to pests and weeds that were enemies of their growth.The healthier the plant, the more resistant it becomes to those threats to its well-being. This same principle applies to our faith walk.

My labor of love blessed all who entered the garden gate. Boxwood-lined pathways hemmed in the fragrant roses, while some climbed over arches along the twisting paths.

The Christian labor of love requires more than a Sunday morning “gardening” from 10 to 11 a.m. As you cultivate a daily life of love grafted into Christ, in time you, too, will bloom and grow, blessing those along your path.