Thursday, June 19, 2014

Dear God,

It's hard to get rid of tangled roots so deeply woven into human life!  I spent the day digging and cutting trying desperately to remove tree roots in my spiritual garden.  I had chopped and cleared the Burberry bush but the stump and the roots wore me out.  I dug with the shovel.  I pruned with the shears.  I cut with the chain saw.  I pulled what I could but still I could not clear the soil of unwanted debris.

While I worked on the garden, I reflected upon the deeply embedded roots in my own soul.   I confess I have so many, some that have come down through my family history, others that were imposed upon me in my early years, and of course, others that I gave seed to through my own choices.  Battling with old roots can be overwhelming and even paralyzing and I remembered times when my battle nearly cost me my life.

The wonderful thing about faith is it provides special tools by which to deal with the nasty roots in our lives.  It can help us discern the distinction of what is good and healthy and those that are not.  It can help us begin the process of handling one unnerving root after another.  It can challenge us to consider our life and how we have come to be where we are but also help us to know we do not have to remain enslaved by the roots that have burdened us for so long.  Faith can renew our hope and our ability to prune, cut, dig, and remove old dead roots allowing space for new growth.

Gracious God,
thank you
for insights
that lead us
to reflection
and opportunity
for new growth.
Thank you
for your
living spirit
that can
revive us
and set us
on the road
to renewal.
Thank you
for love
and mercy
that undergirds us
in our
spiritual transformation.

Love, Andrea