Monday, July 13, 2015

Do these roots make my foundation look shaky...

A couple of months ago jerry and I finished a side path in our yard. We dug up big rocks and knocked out huge pieces of concrete. We then laid down a protective layer to keep things from growing up and then laid rocks on top of that. It looks beautiful and I love to come sit out here for moments at a time. 
Always when walking though, I see little attempts of growth. 

There are a handful of these throughout the path. The first time I saw one I thought "how in the world....we laid the covering down"
Then I went to pull the weed up and with no effort at all, it came right up. I realized that it had grown on top of the foundation and was trying to root with only rocks as its base. 
This morning as I am out here again I see a few more weeds trying to take ownership of my space and I am reminded about my walk with God. 
My foundation for this walking path is the most important thing. I have to get that right first or nothing else will work from that point. 
If Jerry and I had just laid the rocks down on top of the dirt, the weeds would be able to work their way down and really take root in the dirt. When I would attempt to pull it, the task would have required more effort because the roots actually had something to hold onto. 

In our daily life our spiritual foundation needs to be one where we take the time....from the start...and get out those big rocks. Remove the obvious sin. 
We then need to get some help and ax out the bigger things in our life. We may not see it at first but as we are digging we will find them. God, on purpose, puts friends in your life to help with that. 

Laying a proper foundation is about asking Jesus for forgiveness of these sins and believing that he did in fact die on the cross in your place and rose again the 3rd day. He is the Son of God. 

For our little yard path, laying down that protective covering over the dirt is equally to having that walk with God. He covers all of our life. He puts a protective church family and friends in your life to help cover you and walk with you. They are there to help see when those little weeds start to grow. 

The thing to know is that the enemy, the devil, is real. His number one goal is to throw out the seeds to grow those weeds. He wants us to see the things growing in our life and be discouraged and frustrated and distracted with their growth. 
We need to remember that even though things will attempt to take root, if our foundation is solid and protected, then nothing can take root that is not from God. 
If you are finding that some things seem harder to get rid of in your life then go back and check your foundation. 
If there are sinful habits you can't break then spend the time in prayer, spend the time with friends who can pray with you, and seek out where that crack is in the foundation. 
Mending the heart can take time but God has all the time you need and He is the only one who can fix the hurt and heal the foundation. 
You will find that once that is fixed and the next time you see things trying to take root it will be an easy fix. There will be no ground for those "weeds" to take root. 
The trick though, is keeping your eyes open and being mindful of the seeds the enemy throws your way. If left un-touched for a long time, damage can happen and your entire life is full of little weeds making it seem impossible to change. 

See the roots to this plant on my path... 
It has stood up though a few rain storms and seemed pretty sturdy but one simple tug and it is gone. I have about 6 more on this path but I see them. 

I had so many things in my life that were deeply rooted. I needed help to get big rocks out that I couldn't lift my self. I needed help laying the protective foundation and I still need help to see when things start trying to take root. 

I am very thankful for a strong foundation. I am thankful for friends who help me keep watch over my life to pull out the junk before it causes damage. I am thankful for a relationship with Jesus who shows me things in my life to keep in check. 

What little attitudes or habits are taking root in your life that you might need to take a minute to un-root? 







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