Roots and Seeds

We have a beautiful little flower garden on the east side of our house. Over the years, we’ve tossed lots of different varieties of seeds into the dirt, hoping they would take root and grow into bright, happy plants adorning our yard through the spring and summer. Most of them do end up growing into flowers, but some get washed away by the rain or overshadowed by small trees. Every spring, I grab my shovel and try to dig up as many small trees as possible. The tough part about digging up these trees is their extensive root systems and the way a few small sprouts can come from one giant, hidden trunk. I have to dig deep and pull with all my might. Sometimes my strength fails me and I have to resort to using clippers. Using clippers gets the job done for the moment, but doesn’t prevent the tree from growing again in the future.

Sin is just like these stubborn tree roots and trunks. If we truly want to mortify sin in our lives, we must get to the root of our sin. Overeating doesn’t stem from the fact that we like the way we feel when we eat too much food. Anger doesn’t stem from the fact that we like to let our emotions overtake us so much that we lose control. Both of these sins have a root. Many times, overeating comes from the desire to find control and comfort outside of Jesus. Anger tends to come from not getting what we think we want or deserve. Defiance of God’s will for our lives leads to spiritual issues that quickly turn into stubborn sins.

Getting to the root of sin means getting rid of the clippers entirely. Dieting won’t solve the spiritual issues behind overeating. Using breathing techniques to calm anger can’t diagnose why anger thrives in the first place. These methods might help us in the moment, but we’ll only continue to struggle when the moment is over. Even if we do find a superficial solution that seems to work, the desire to control, find comfort, or do what we can to get we want will manifest itself somewhere else in some other type of sin. Perhaps we’ll start looking for comfort in books or control in the way we parent our children. We cannot uproot any sin in our own strength, and we cannot hope to find a solution in ideas that mask our sin instead of getting to the core of why we sin in the first place.

We must also remember that at the very root of all sin is pride. Our sins radiate from pride like new sprouts grow from a sturdy tree trunk buried far into the ground. We think we know better than God. We think we know more than God. We think our way is best. Pride digs roots deep into our hearts and can only be destroyed by looking to Jesus. Trust in Jesus demolishes our selfish desires and orients our hearts to the truth found in Him instead of in ourselves.

When we trust in Jesus, we rely on His goodness in all circumstances, even if those circumstances look vastly different from what we had in mind. We trust in His perfect timing and see interruptions to our plans as God showing us a better way. We grow where He places us instead of languishing in thoughts of what could have been. We ask Him to show us the small trees that have taken root in our hearts, and we rely on Him to help us lift the shovel and heartily pull until nothing remains but a space in which beautiful, godly desires can blossom and thrive.

This year, after digging up a few small trees in the garden, my son suggested we plant flower seeds in the new holes. He trotted to the garage and found a packet of aster seeds from last year’s stock. We each took a few and sprinkled them into the wet dirt. Its still a little cold in the Midwest, but I enjoyed the reminder that spring will bring many days of rain, sunshine, and warmth, which will in turn cause our aster seeds to grow. What a lovely picture of God’s goodness. He not only helps us remove the sin in our hearts, but also shows us how to live in a way that pleases Him. We are free to replace sinful behaviors, like overeating and anger, with behavior that brings glory to our Savior. He fills us with good things. We are no longer gardens rent with stubborn trees or even barren patches of earth, but sons and daughters through the living hope we have in Jesus, growing into the fullness of Him who made us and loves us.