Rootedness is a good thing. 

I’ve recently been transplanting some flowers and vegetables and have been reminded of the connections we as human beings have that, like roots, nourish our lives.

One of the things we draw from to shape, inform and enrich our lives is a sense of place. The place where I grew up has a special place in my heart and imagination. It is where I am from. Of all the trees in the world, I have a special affinity for the one I played under for hours as a child. 

The constructed world around it is still vivid in my memory as well. Our house. The church next door where my dad pastored and I spent so much time. The school and ballfields. Then there are other landmark locations like a college campus — especially the point overlooking the lake where I got engaged and the chapel where we were married. There is the house where our kids grew up. 

Locations like these orient my sense of place and belonging. After traveling around many parts of the world for six decades now, my little spots are seen in a different light. There are much more spectacular and interesting places, but my place is still home and I value it more than ever. My place contributes to my sense of who I am.

Another area that shapes our lives is a sense of time. Who am I in the long expanse of human history? Who were my ancestors and how do I relate to them? How do the many technological innovations that are coming at us so rapidly make life different from that of my parents? 

Our culture has been crafted by the actions of people and other influences over time. With different influences our culture would have been different. All of our collective actions are shaping the culture we are passing on to the next generation. They, like us, will be products of their time – a time we have had a hand in making.

Another one of the key elements of who we are is our sense of meaning. How do we interpret the places and times of our experience? People tell the story of their lives differently through a largely unconscious process of engagement with the various influences in life. The narrative one sees as his or her life carries within it the sense of meaning that we humans crave. 

At a certain level of experience with life we can “try on” different narratives of meaning from the one we inherit from our families and communities of origin. When we do so, we gain a more complete understanding and appreciation of our story – much like we do with the places and things of the formative times of life.

My faith as a follower of Jesus Christ is the single most influential aspect of the way I understand my life. It orients my story within a beautiful and much bigger narrative that is shared with billions of others across geography and time, and yet it is still uniquely mine. This sense of identity as a deeply loved creation and child of God fills my experience with deep meaning and purpose. It is a faith that I largely inherited from my family, but it is so much more than just a sentimental leftover of childhood. 

After observing, studying, and engaging with alternative interpretations of life, this is the story that makes the particulars of life make sense for me. Like the sun making the world visible, the story of Christ makes life comprehensible; but not just comprehensible. It also makes it beautiful, lighting it up with color and filling it with energy.

If you are searching for a sense of meaning, I encourage you to explore the story of God as it is narrated in the Bible. The helpful interpretation of that may not be the one that you have heard in the past. Childish understandings of faith don’t work in the complexities of adulthood any more than any other kindergarten-level thinking. 

If you are interested in conversation about how Christ brings meaning into life, I’d love to talk. 

Jeff Fugitt is the pastor of Cassville United Methodist Church, located at 601 Gravel Street in Cassville. He may be reached at 417-847-2328 or [email protected].