Salty Sister Speaking : Roots

Salty Sister Speaking : Roots: We bought a house in late December of last year and we are just now getting around to working on the landscaping. Last weekend it was my go...

Roots

We bought a house in late December of last year and we are just now getting around to working on the landscaping. Last weekend it was my goal to remove two overgrown, unsightly, out of place shrubs. My son used a chain saw to cut them down and I took on the adventure of removing the roots and I had not idea what I had taken on.

I began with three tools, a shovel, an ax and a mattock.  I first began with the shovel, digging around the root to loosen the dirt and as I moved around the shrub I thought, “This must be how Satan begins to work on us, a little at a time digging all around our rooted faith.” The more I dug the more I thought how rooted this old out of place shrub had grounded itself. I worked and worked and worked and with each dig and swing I became more determined to get this root out of the ground to make room for my new landscape design. I was offered help multiple times but I wanted, for some reason, to conquer this stubborn root.

After about an hour I finally thoughs I had broken loose every root I reached down to pull it out with no luck. I got on my knees and used my hand to push back the loosened dirt only to find a hidden root. This root was unlike the others and quite larger than I expected. Its growth pattern was unlike the rest as it went directly under the shrub and curved under in such a way the every tool I had couldn't touch it. Of course, I wase more determined than ever to remove this root.

As I was pulling, chopping, digging I could feel the hint of a little burning on the palm of my hand and I knew a blister was forming but I wasn't giving up. As I continued God spoke to my spirit and provided me with a sweet message that spoke deep into my heart. You see when I first began trying to remove this root I was thinking, “God, I hope my faith is this strong and this immovable.” But strong faith wasn't the lesson He was teaching me.  Here is what he revealed to me.

This root, that come from and overgrown, unsightly and out of place shrub represents the many strong holds that we have in our lives and hearts. Strong holds that we think may be meaningless, so we haven’t taken the time to rid them from the depths of our hearts. That last root, the one that was the strongest and the hardest one to reach showed me that sometimes these strong holds are much more deeply rooted than we realize and ridding them from our heart will take a lot more effort than just saying, “Ok, I am giving this up or I am not going to do that anymore.” No, it takes time and energy and determination and most importantly a desire.

Finally, I removed the root and wow, was it ever gratifying.  With the unsightly stubborn root in my hand I looked down to see a large empty hole that replaced the unsightly out of place shrub. So, here is the second part of God’s little lesson. When we remove such unsightly, out of place strong holds that are so deeply rooted in our heart it will open up more space for God to move into.

While removing the root was very gratifying what was not so gratifying was the blister in the very center of the palm of my right hand.  We sure do take things for granted until we can’t use them. This blister, a week later still requires a bandage and my hand still feels the effects of my hard work in removing that unwanted root.  All weeklong I have had just about everyone I have encountered ask me, “What did you do to your hand?” and when I begin to tell them the story of the unsightly, unwanted root, I was amazed at how many people said, “Why didn't you just cover it up with something else?” I would simply, reply, “Because it was right in the specific place that I wanted to plant something else.” While I must admit covering it up with mulch or rock would have been much easier, just like covering up sin or strongholds in our hearts, I wouldn't be able to plant what I wanted where I wanted.

The last lesson I learned and am reminded of every time I try to use my right hand is that, just like I earned that blister from my hard work I will encounter some spiritual bumps and bruises and even some blisters that may remain tender for a while but oh how sweet it will be when God can now occupy more space inside my heart.

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

Have you asked God, lately to search your heart and show you what is taking up space that He wants to claim?

What Is It?

What is It?

Once again on an early morning walk I stopped for a moment to take in not just the scenery but also the sounds of the new day beginning. Among all that I heard it was the falling of the dew that got my attention. I closed my eyes and could hear each droplet falling from the tree leaves that arched over me. I then started to look around me and realized that dew was present on just about everything I could see. I have seen dew in the mornings my whole life but for some reason today had more meaning to me. I started to ask myself the question, “What is dew and what is its purpose?” After some scientific research and some Biblical research it appears that I wasn't the only one wondering what dew is.

Exodus 16:12-15

12 That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. 14 When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. 15 The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was.

And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat.

God and His provisions never cease to amaze me, while we are in our slumber of restless nights fighting off the demons of tomorrow that we hope will disappear when we wake up, He is preparing the new day for us, His new day. The word manna is really translated from the Hebrew text as, What is it? What is it, I’ll tell you what it is it is His provision for your day.

The struggle is real but so is the dew. Maybe you are at a dew point in your life. Maybe you need a touch of His cool misty dew to fall upon you.  When you are at that point where your belly is growling for peace and answers, don't ignore the dew, it’s falling for a reason. Step outside and stop looking at what the world is presenting to you but look at the sweet fresh dew that surrounds the very ground that you are standing on. That’s Him! Slow down, for one moment look around you at what He has been doing while you are sleeping He has been preparing a new day for you.  I told my husband early on in our marriage that it is the little things that matter, like the sweet notes left by the coffee pot, a daisy picked from the ground or brining me home just one can of my, at the time favorite drink “Brisk Tea.” One day he stopped for a moment and did a small thing. He drove this really large work truck that was difficult to maneuver in and out of small places, let me tell you I would take out the town of Paintsville if I had to drive something like that. Anyway, he walks in the house one evening with a smile on his face holding on can of cold Brisk tea. Cold because he stopped at the little store with little parking just to pick it up for me. I almost didn't want to drink it because it was so special, not the tea, but what he did, the extra step he took just to do a little thing.

We are way to busy and way to consumed with the world and its plight to take us down and out sometimes to stop and enjoy or behold the “little things” that God so purposely does for us even while we are sleeping and even though we don't bother to notice.

When you leave you house in the morning look for the dew but this time don't pass it by take your hand and touch it. Let the cool wet misty feeling of His daily manna touch your life. He has this! He always has, He is God. He is a God fierce enough to control raging seas and a God sweet enough to lay a blanket of dew out for us each morning. Enjoy his manna for your life today.

Lamentations 3:22-23New King James Version (NKJV)

22 

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

23 

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

Changing Seasons

After I study I like to talk an early morning walk to digest what God has given me, however on this particular morning I had a different agenda and that was to give God advise on how to change my current season in life. I had it all figured out in my head. With each step that I took the plan that I had contemplated seemed more and more logical, but wait my experience tells me that God is not the God of logic or of conventional ways.

I decided to sit down on the ground for a minute and when I did I couldn't help but look up and when I did there it was. The road I was sitting on (it's a private road by the way) was beautifully shaded by the most tall strong trees. Their branches almost touched each other as the stretched across the road. That's when I saw it, one little branch had about 8 to 10 beautiful golden leaves on it, while the rest of the leaves were hearty summer green. Hmm, I said to myself that's pretty neat. The whole tree is living in summer but one little branch as begun to live in the fall season.

Well that did it, God showed up and used that very little branch to redirect my journey of thoughts and the previous advice that I had just given Him about the season of my life. We are all in a season and just maybe it's not our favorite season. I read lots of posts where people say, I can't wait for Fall, sweatshirts, fire pit nights, fuzzy socks and apple cider an while I too enjoy fall I have been hanging on to everyday of summer that I can because I know after beautiful fall comes a cold, possibly white winter.

So here I sit on this road looking at that one little branch and admiring it's foretaste of what's to come. That little branch gave me hope and a simple little message form HIM.

1. In my life I am encountering things that I don't like, things I devised a plan for God to take care of. In one instance I just recently waited for the last day of the last minute before moving forward just thinking, Ahh God is gonna show up and I won't have to do this, but HE didn't, which is why this little walk did me a world of good.

2. God, show up right now and do this because I can't take it anymore. Yeah, that statement isn't God's speed and that little branch showed me that I am trying to move from one season of my life to the other too quickly. You see, when we think we have it all figured out we are ready to jump to the next season but God has greater plans. He wants us to embrace every season He allows us to enter into because great lessons await us. It's just like saying to God, "God, I am tired of summer so change it to fall right now."

3. God has already stood where ever our season is leading us. Although, I have said, "But, I am so tired of this season." He reminded my with one little branch that He has a great magnificent  plan involved and it requires a specific time for all the leaves to turn and for fall to show or my new season of life.

4. As always He melts my heart with His loving responses and reminds me that I may not like the season in which I am in but it is necessary and also if I did not enter into these seasons how would I ever become to understand the great and mighty God He is. I'll admit I don't like going through unfavorable seasons but always when I look back at the undesirable seasons of my life it is when He was the most evident in my life and I love taking notes on just what He did and how He did it. It's these seasons, studying His word daily and His personal encounters that have allowed me at many times to help others going through a season I have already passed through.

5. The tough lesson is this as I am reminded of Joseph and his life and his many Pit filled seasons. It is with his amazing attitude during those times in his life that brought him out of the pit into the palace.

What ever season that you are in, embrace it, cling to His word, allow Him to use this season for His glory and most importantly change your attitude to one that exposes the God of your heart so that others may grow from your strength while you are traveling through your tough season. When you get a little weary look for a small but beautiful sign that the season your in is getting ready to change.

Habakkuk 2:1-3King James Version (KJV)

2 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.