Going After the Roots

…Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be torn up by the roots. Mt 15:13

Saturday morning we continued the process of tackling a flower bed in our front yard that we’ve paid little attention to in the 3 1/2+ yrs since moving into this house (in spite of being the progeny of Alice Jewell). We had been forced to pay some attention to it over a year ago, since a large tree that had made its home there for decades, long before our arrival, was wreaking havoc with its extensive root system. So the tree had to come down. But as we worked Saturday, Jesse discovered that some of its roots still remained. One particular area where he was digging required a special tool in order to sever the root and get it out of the way to prevent it from hindering the growth of plants we want to keep.

As I worked to dig under weeds and other unwanted growth, making sure to remove the entire root system, I felt the Lord impressing on me the spiritual parallels of what we were doing and the continual need we all have to tend to the garden of our hearts. Among other things, I was reminded of part of what He put on my heart to emphasize in this year’s birthday blessing about SEEDS, SOILS, and ROOTS.

That night, after praying, the devotional word Jesse opened to was called, “The Root Ax.” It said:

“… I don’t (just) modify your behavior; I transform your character. I don’t chop off your branches; I pull out your roots. It’s the bad roots I’m going after. I have a special root ax; it can cut any root no matter how big or old. … and when it severs roots, they remain severed while new, healthy, godly, roots grow in their place. I love you, and that’s why I’m showing you everything that could hurt you and getting rid of it. …Trust My character while I create yours.”

We knew the Lord was confirming what He’d just been speaking to our hearts earlier that day in a breathtaking way.

He’s not interested in just chopping off problematic growth in our lives at a surface level, leaving the root system behind to continue plaguing us with the same ugly problems over and over again. He wants to dig deep to help us remove those issues by the roots. While the old covenant/law only dealt with outward behavior, Jesus is after the total transformation of our hearts.

My mom didn’t know any of this, so I was further amazed when this morning she sent this picture of two of my nephews holding a root they’d diligently worked together to wrestle out of her yard that’s bigger than they are!

… So maybe the problem is bigger than your ability to tackle alone. Though I believe 1 person + God is enough to overcome any Goliath, not every person is as strong in the Lord as David was at that time in his life. God still wants to meet us where we are. So, if you can’t do it alone, why not get some help from others?

May we all cooperate with the Master Gardener to diligently go after and uproot everything that was not planted by Him in our hearts and lives, allowing Him to transform us into good soil, with noble and good hearts, that will receive and retain the Seed of His Word and persevere to bring forth the 100 fold harvest of righteousness in every area of our lives. (Mt 13:1-23) 🙏❤

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