You’ve Got to Pull Up the Roots, Man

On Monday I introduced a new series here at Borrowed Light.  It took off like a herd of turtles.  We received a whopping ZERO illustrations.  That’s okay.  Regardless of whether or not you join me in the comments I am going to trust that some people will privately do the exercise of trying to find gospel illustrations.  Today I’ll share my illustration from this video:

I am pretty confident that I have been like this dog before.  The problem that he is finding is that the thing on the surface is attached to a much stronger root system that is not easily visible.  I’ve done this with idols in my life.  I have been like this dog by foolishly thinking that a particular sin is merely an easily handled stick that I can just clamp my teeth into and move around where I want it. 

There are some surface idols that I might be able to do this with.  But whenever these things are attached to much deeper roots they do not move so easily.  If I really want to “move the stick” then it needs to be uprooted. 

Anger is a good example of this.  If I set about controlling my anger I will be just like that dog pulling at the stick.  It’s not going to easily move because it has much deeper roots.  Anger is a surface response to deeper inner turmoil.  Anger happens whenever something below the surface is on the throne of my heart.  If I want to control my anger then I’ve got to get out a shovel and start discovering and hacking at the root system. 

Don’t be like that dog and live your Christian life in frustration because you never get to the root issues.  Christ came not only to conquer the surface problems but to absolutely redeemed the root system.  I’ve written some in the past on idol destruction.  This video shows the need for it.