2025 Rooted Nonfiction Winner

Rooted by the River by Lana Usilton

From Eden’s garden to eternity, the river of God flows—winding its way through history and carrying the story of God’s love. A love that relentlessly pursues relationship with those He made in His likeness.

God in His majesty spoke the sun, moon, stars, and our world into existence. But He showed careful tenderness when He made our first parents. God shaped man from the dust of the ground “and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7). God named the man Adam and placed him into a garden. 

God’s garden is a masterpiece, planted in Eden for His special creation. I’ve planted gardens and dabbled in landscaping, but even my best efforts pale in comparison. God’s characteristics of love, goodness, and peace are reflected in the tranquil beauty of His garden.

God made every tree to grow that was pleasant to the eyes and good for food. Adam could eat from any of the many beautiful trees except the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Its forbidden fruit would bring certain death. The Tree of Life was also in the garden.

Adam gave names to all of God’s living creatures, but he found none like himself. God in His wisdom knew it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone. So He brought a deep slumber upon him and took from the man’s side to form a woman of the same flesh and bone. Eve awoke to be with Adam in the splendor of the garden. Together, they enjoyed their lovely paradise, walking in harmonious relationship with God. Why would anyone ever want to leave? 

As Adam and Eve walked in the garden, a creature appeared. In the newness of their surroundings, Eve didn’t think it strange when it spoke to her. But this deceitful serpent planted seeds of doubt about God’s love and care. He tempted her with imagined benefits of disobeying God’s one command to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge.      

Eve lingered. She listened, and she began to reason that the forbidden fruit was desirable. And in a fateful moment, she chose to disregard the words of the One who lovingly brought her to life and created this beautiful garden home.  She ate … but didn’t instantly die! She must have thought the serpent had been right.           

We like to think we would’ve done better than Eve at this moment. But would we? As a Christian who’s sung “Jesus Loves Me” and believed John 3:16, “For God so loved the world,” I’ve doubted God. I’ve been afraid to yield all parts of my life to Him, not trusting His wisdom and care. I didn’t understand the depth of God’s love for me. Yes, I’ve been very much like Eve. 

She ate and then handed the deadly fruit to her husband. God had given Adam, not Eve, the original command to not eat from this tree.

His loving Creator had said, “no.”

His loving wife was saying, “Eat.”

He hesitated. What would he do?  Adam ate … and immediately things were different. How many times have I been like Adam and just gone along instead of speaking up? Why didn’t Adam tell Eve this was not a creature God gave him to name? Why didn’t he say, “We should ask God about this.” Whether from fear, a lack of strength, uncertainty, or misplaced love, the outcome is the same. Adam ate, and the course of humanity was changed forever. Sin has its consequences. 

God in His love must now drive them from His garden, lest they eat from the Tree of Life and live forever in their sin. He set Cherubim and a turning, flaming sword to keep them out. I can’t help but imagine the lingering looks over their shoulders as they left their perfect garden home and the intimate friendship they enjoyed with their Maker. Sin also brought a curse of thorns and thistles on the earth. The beauty we see in nature today is but a remnant of the perfection that was in the Garden of Eden. And death came, just as God had warned. Their firstborn’s sin brought tragedy to the family by murdering his brother. The sin of disobedience has left a scar across the landscape and humanity for all generations to follow. 

But there is hope!  God’s river, like His love, flowed beyond Eden’s boundaries. “A river went out of Eden … and from there it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison; that is it which compasses the whole land of Havilah … And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasses the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel, that is it which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.” (Gen. 2:14 KJVER). 

God’s desire for reconciliation and connection with humanity sends His river into the driest of places. He says, “I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19). David said, “O God, You are my God; … my soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land.” (Psalm 63:1).

God’s river continued to flow through His Son. When Jesus came into our world, He said, “Whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13).  

One day, Jesus touched the eyes of a blind man to restore his sight. His vision returned gradually and looking up, he said, “I see men as trees, walking.” (Mark 8:24). Jesus could have restored his eyesight instantly, but this moment holds a deeper picture: we are like trees.

As trees, we need to be transplanted from our desert world to live by the river of God and His water of life. “Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water … His leaf also shall not wither;” (Psalm 1:1-3). Though the encompassing ground appears dry, our roots can draw daily from God’s river. 

Because of Jesus, the river of God continues to flow through us. He said, “If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink. He that believes on Me as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive” (John 7:38-39). We flourish rooted by God’s river and it flows to the parched world around us. As a well-watered tree, we are an oasis of shade and refreshment to earth’s thirsty and weary travelers.

Looking around my neighborhood I see a variety of trees. Each has distinctive leaves and shapes. We are unique too. Though there is only one gospel, our relationship with God is unique. No two are exactly alike but all are planted in Christ, “Rooted and grounded in love.” (Eph. 3:17). God is love, and His river connects us to that love. 

Planted and rooted by the river, we drink in the sweet water of fellowship with Him. Relationship with God has been restored, and we experience spiritually that which was lost in Eden! We entered a world broken by sin and have journeyed through a dry and thirsty land. But when we trust Jesus for our salvation, we are planted by God’s eternal river. Our roots soak up the water of His word and we find friendship with the God of heaven.

The river of God flowed through Eden and into the world. But its true source and destination is the throne of God! “A pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (Rev. 22:1). “And on either side of the river, was there the tree of life” (verse 2). One day you and I will drink freely from that river and eat from the Tree of Life. When we see God face to face in heaven, we will walk and talk with Him like Adam and Eve did in the beginning. And we’ll experience the fullness of His love in a paradise greater than Eden. There will be no serpent and no sin. 

God pursues us today through His everlasting river of love. Dear friend, please don’t wait to experience God’s love as I once did. His river is flowing – and our roots can reach deep into its waters to draw close to His heart.