Power of fibrous roots 덩이뿌리의 힘

In gardens or on the streets, everywhere is filled with pinky-white or yellow blossoms in spring. Looking around the new sprouts and buds coming up little by little is always awesome and marvelous. Quince, cherry, plum, apricot and peach blossoms are surrounded with fresh and spontaneous vitality. In early spring this year, our communities decided to arrange the yards in the congregation; so as a part of resolutions during the Lenten season, we cleared up dried leaves and broken branches that had fallen here and there.

Considering the scattered gardens, each of seven communities (joy, faith, love, meekness, grace, peace, and hope) was assigned to take care of some part of the gardens. So making use of our spare time, we are transplanting and arranging the plants as well as sowing seeds such as rose moss, garden balsam, rose mallow, and so on.

To transplant some lilyturfs that have grown in the front garden under the pine trees to the backyard surrounded with a little hill, I dug out the earth with a hoe and noticed a root mass like numerous threaded veins. Especially at the end of the fibrous roots, terminal tubers like peanuts were dangling. 

It was quite interesting to see those tubers dangling from the fibrous roots. What a mystery for lilyturfs to survive all year long depending on fibrous roots! Those tubers or lumps might contain the watery sap to sustain the plants as an evergreen perennial and to preserve its vitality even in the midst of the barren soil or shady forests. 

Later I learned that the big blue lilyturf (Liriope platyphylla) is a low growing, turfed, grass-like perennial understory plant that grows 30-50cm tall with evergreen foliage, lilac-purple flowers with single-seeded berries on a spike in the fall. 

The lilyturfs can endure heat, humidity or drought, but they prefer moist and fertile soils with a partial shade. It is also known that those terminal tubers can be used as an effective medicine to prevent coughs and phlegm, as it improves the lungs and stimulates vitality. The lilyturfs easily reproduced by dividing the root mass can also clean the air.

In general, the roots are hidden underground, but evidently, all the plant's vitality comes from them. Especially the roots are so fibrous, tiny and fragile but they extend deep into the hardened earth like a sharp knife. 

Furthermore, they create the tubers to store the enduring vitality. There lies the healing power of life. Whether the roots are big or small, thick or thin, they penetrate deeply into the ground. Their constant efforts to enter into life accumulate an inner healing power and give a persevering endurance to every plant.

I really appreciate the behind story of the hidden roots. Jesus dying on the cross is like the hidden root. Though giving everything out, he is not seen like the hidden roots, but he is alive always to vitalize and sustain the weak, the humble, the poor, the alienated and the unknown.

"Living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body's growth and builds itself up in love." (Eph 4:15-16)

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/04/162_266922.html

  The Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/ April 13-14, 2019