Uprooting

Uprooting: a word that often gets a negative connotation to it. Often times it's seen with moving cross country, leaving the people you love behind, and starting over. But, uprooting can also be a beautiful thing. No, it's not painless, but it's always worth it.

Weed: a wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants.

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A few weekends ago I was placed on 'weeding duty' around the buildings at camp. While I was weeding around the dining hall I came across many weeds that I was hesitant to pull, I easily thought these weeds actually look beautiful they couldn't be that harmful. My, oh my, there were little purple ones, and yellow ones, and ones that looked like clovers. After I finished I joined the women in the garden and upturn dirt to uproot the weeds that had already began to grow. Once we got as many weeds out as we could we were able to move onto the planting of the flowers. The weeds around the buildings were easy, however, once we got to the flower bed we entered a whole new ball court.

All the other weeds up until that point were easy to pull out, but once we got to the flower bed we started to need more than just our bare hands. We had gloves, spading forks, trowels, and other people. These weeds needed added tools, the old tactics wouldn't work with the depth of these roots.

Often times the same thing goes with our sin. There are some sins in our lives that are easy to give up, some that just take bare hands and a little patience. But, other sins are deep strongholds that need extra measures taken. They hurt. They are sleepless nights spent with the Lord. They are coming to His feet time and time again asking for His help and forgiveness.

Obviously the weeds that I saw as ugly I was willing to uproot quickly, whereas the weeds that looked more appealing I didn't see worth pulling. Until I realized the reality of weeds. Weeds compete for the flower's nutrients, leaving them vulnerable to the elements around them. Weeds have no purpose other than to destroy, no matter how beautiful the appearance may seem. In order for a flower garden to thrive weeds need to be pulled.

The same is true for our spiritual walks.

When we are saved it is easy to think it really won't make a difference if I get drunk one day a week, it won't matter if I just go on that sight one more time, if I just ask for it in a prayer request it isn't gossip and I'm okay in every other area, etc. but the reality is those are weeds. Let me say that again, even the 'little sins' are weeds. They choke out the life of your greatest calling, your greatest potential, and your entire purpose for this life: to know God and make Him known. Sin takes the nutrients that Christ gives and leaves you susceptible to the elements -- the corruption of the world.

Through Christ we have been given everything we need to live Godly lives, but in order to live Godly lives, we need to be willing to take drastic measures. In Matthew 5:29-30 God is very clear with the measures we need to take with sin, but the question is are we willing to take those measures to live a life worthy of our calling? I can tell you it's not easy, but the freedom is worth the momentary pain. At times it is physically exhausting, but it is worth it. Every day. Trading a weed for a beautiful garden called your greatest purpose is worth it. Every time.


More Like Jesus - Passion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bKxYbVCXoQ


2 Peter 1:3-9
"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins."