In an effort to improve the ‘street appeal’ in front of our home, I decided to remove several bushes that had been planted near the front door at a time when dinosaurs roamed the planet. Despite my somewhat successful efforts in removing the multitude of limbs and leaves that grew high above the ground, the roots buried beneath presented a much greater difficulty than I could whittle down with my little chain saw.

With semi-sharp tools and zero experience, I waged war against the gnarled mass of roots laying outside my door. As the hours ticked away, the titanic struggle continued until one by one, the root systems of each bush lay freely on the lawn basking in the noon-day sun.

As I cut, chopped, and dug away at each root, it occurred to me how much like my own walk with the Lord this process seemed to be.

Deeply rooted in my perceptions of the world and how things ought to be in the book of Dennis, the clipping of certain roots was a much more lengthy process than others. Some were easy and were quickly pulled into the light of truth. Others, like snakes on speed, continued to dig deeper into the earth in an effort to avoid the heat and light that waited above. Even now as I write this, certain roots that still grow in the wrong direction, attempt to disrupt my thoughts in an effort to obtain nourishment from sources that would pull me away from the life-giving light that sustains me.

We all have roots. We can’t live on this ball of dirt without them. However, depending on the life we have led and our circumstances, those roots can be so overgrown with the distractions of this world that our attention is drawn downward, causing us to often miss out on what is really important. But to us all, the light of Christ is offered. To respond to His call means the cutting of our roots in this world and the replanting into the fertile soil in the Kingdom of God. That process can be painful, it will take the rest of your life, and there will be times when you so strongly desire to be back in the hole where He found you.

However, when we let go of our hold on this world and allow God to move us where He will, to uproot us from our complacency and root-bound existence, we begin to realize that to live does not necessarily mean to be bound to one spot but to grow strong and wild under the Master’s watchful loving gaze and the gentleness of His eternally green thumb. With Jesus guiding our growth, we can be like the rose bursting forth from the winter snow or the dandelion that holds its mane against the stormy winds of spring.

I hope in this seed of thought, you can find a sprout of wisdom that will help you grow in the garden of your life.