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Out by the Roots

There are some weeds in the garden (nut-grass for one) that when you pull them out, you have to be careful to get all the roots. If you don’t, the roots will put forth shoots that can eventually grow into a full new plant that you’ll need to pull out again.

Hebrews 12:14-15
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the Grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

In our lives there are many problems and struggles. You might say that they are the weeds in our lives. We deal with what we can, but sometimes it’s easier to overlook problems, hoping they might just go away.

When the problems persist or come back, we despair, and we may even have bitterness and anger in our hearts. We might be angry at another person for having caused the difficulty, or we may be angry with God for allowing this thing to happen in our lives. This may all turn into bitterness.

When bitterness happens, we become incapacitated. We have allowed something that began as an issue to be dealt with, to becoming a problem that we can’t or don’t want to deal with. Then we have trouble. We might despair, lose sleep, or even have a nervous breakdown. In getting angry and resentful, we may say or do something that we regret later.

For those who work with and support for persons with developmental disabilities, problems can come in many forms and many sources—regulations, the education system, funding, or lack of opportunities for our loved one. They can all cause bitterness in our spirit.

What’s to be done? How can we keep bitterness away even in the midst of problems? That answer is also in the Bible passage: “live in peace . . . be holy . . . ”, so that people “will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God . . .”

There lies the key, the Grace of God. Even the peace, the holy living, and letting people see the Lord—they all proceed from God’s Grace and His undeserved mercy. He didn’t hold back anything out of resentment but gave freely, sacrificing His Son on the cross to save sinners, rebels, people of the worst character and habits—in other words you and me.

If God can love so much to forgive the very worst in me, I can take that forgiveness. In living it, I can react to things in peace, holiness, and bold witness. Working in God’s grace, love, and forgiveness, I can deal with life’s trouble-weeds, pull them out with God’s help, and leave no root of bitterness remaining to spring up and cause me despair when I least suspect it.

Difficult, you say?—Of course. Is God big enough to help?—Certainly.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the grace of Your forgiveness. Though it may not be easy to keep from feeling bitterness, we ask Your help in the power of Your grace and in the name of Jesus. Amen