Have you ever taken your bare hands and pulled weeds out of the ground? Above the surface they seem light, thin, and easy to manage. Just to get rid of that appearance is usually the reason to rid of them and the sooner the better because the expectation is they’ll be back sooner than later. 

Pulling weeds out of the ground with my bare hands one day made me appreciate the ideology of getting to the root of things. As I pulled on the weeds, something told me that what I was doing was too easy. There had to be more to the weeds than just what I saw. I began to dig in the cold ground and as dirty as it was, there was some peaceful therapy going on with every inch. Finally getting to the root and placing a firm grip around it represented the anticipation of hoping to get it all. And the most satisfying moment of having nails filled with the cold of peaceful nature was the feel of grippng trouble at it’s core, yanking it, and displaying the truth it was, allowing it to never stand ground again.

One of the most important factors in resolving matters in life is having the ability to accept that resolutions don’t always come easy; in fact, if not willing to take the time and put in the work, it is almost guaranteed that something important will be missed, such as the root. The sooner you accept that there are no easy answers and there are no magic tricks, the sooner you’ll be ready to do the work. And just as you typically find only one man digging up one root, so should it be each individual getting to the root of his/her own issues.

The fact that there’s fear of what you might discover is understandable, just as digging in a yard full of weeds. I didn’t know what might jump out at me. The fear of what was underneath, hiding yet living, would cause me to become tense. I found myself bracing in a certain position so that nothing would hit me right in the eye. I even prepared to step away if necessary although filled with the determination to return.

In the midst of reflecting, questioning, understanding, and feeling the anxiety set in, you will find with each step closer, the strength and courage to go all the way to the root; the root of anything and everything that needs to come up and out. As I gripped onto and tugged at the tip of the weed root, I could feel the ground breaking as I pulled and I thought that if the ground could feel, that would’ve been a painful moment.  That same pain is what we may feel when we go digging, searching, and getting down to the dirty truth of our own personal issues. But when we hold on and remain open to receive, the truth will break through the walls of the heart and mind, though painful….liberating; liberation from a host of matters that all result to self-doubt.

The truth of the matter is that when you truly want to be happy and when you want to have a sincere desire to see others happy, you’ll become willing to get down and dirty about what’s really going on inside and underneath. You will dig, pushing mess to the side, until you get to the root. You will grip that root, that truth, and become determined to get it out. Allow yourself to feel the pain as you begin to pull on and  acknowledge what comes up and out. What you’re finding are the weeds of life; weeds that, if not removed, will continue to take over and cloud the presence of beauty. When you find the strength to grip each issue at the root and resolve, that issue becomes a weed that will never grow again. Perhaps others may come, but that particular weed is gone forever, leaving behind courage to confront the next. And when the season begins to change, God will spread his grace over your ground; your heart, your life, and those weeds become nothing more than a distant memory. From then on, you will begin to see the beauty that should’ve been budding and sparkling in the first place.

Regards,

Tawana