You normally don't see the roots of a trees, however while on a family trip in Gooseberry Falls, MN I was drawn to these five trees that had exposed roots.  They became intertwined and appeared to be one root system supporting one another.  I took several pictures that day in October and I knew the Lord was going to have me do something with them but i did not know what. Over the next several months I looked at them and got nothing. Then in July of the following year I settled on a sketch and started the piece. It was a process and journey the Lord was bringing me on each day. I didn’t get the full picture all at once and the Lord used others to give me live pictures like the two toned hands holding each other. It was in September that I was working coloring in those hands that the next day my husband had sudden cardiac arrest at the gym. They were able to revive him thank God and was brought immediately to the hospital. This was my kids first day of school and life got chaotic. They never found out why my marathon running husband had it, but those hands really meant something over the next few weeks. The Lord made the meaning and purpose of that piece real to me as we were living it. The hands of the church (people) extended beyond the reach of our church to others in Minnesota, Texas, New York and I am sure other states too. People came together unified in purpose to lift Tom and our family up in prayer, with meals, with words of encouragement and even someone who walked with my husband outside so he would not have to walk alone.

The Lords desire is that the body of Christ be one as Jesus and the Father are one (John 17:11), "standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel." (Phil.1:27).  

The hands in the tree roots are the body of Believers unified when the storms of life come.  We should encourage, persevere, pray, strengthen, love, hope and suffer together hand in hand.  Be encouraged because he is faithful. Enjoy!