Deep Roots

With a deep waver in her voice, I heard my child call out my name. She had made her way into the washroom just minutes earlier so I figured perhaps she was in need of a little assistance. Then the deep waver soon became a call tinted with young curiosity.

As I came down the hall I literally waded into the waters of a rising flood. The water flowed from the porcelain bowl in what felt like biblical proportions. I was home alone with my young child and my own calls quickly became ones of full-blown panic. The moments that followed are as blurry as the bubbling water that was slipping to the floor.

Apparently because the toilet did not properly flush the first time my child struck the handle, she continued to strike it again and again. And again. My sweet child, she did not know. In her limited knowledge she could not understand why her attempts to rectify the problem were not working. And instead of seeking help the first time, she continued to strike again and again thinking the problem would sort itself out. Her naivety left her mother standing in a puddle of human debris and the pitiful assignment of cleaning up the mess.

So often when we stumble and come up against the winds of strife, we fail to understand why our attempts at rectifying a problem are not working. We strike again and again believing the lie that eventually the problem will sort itself out. Because of sneaky and manipulative lies from the enemy we find an abundance of bruised and broken souls who have lost faith in the church, stepped out on their marriages, and even given up on their kids. And then they are left standing in a puddle of human debris with the enemy walking away leaving telltale footprints in his wake.

Proverbs 20:18, Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance.

When we attempt to solve a spiritual problem without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we only run ourselves into another problem. The Holy Spirit is first and foremost our wisest counsel for we cannot wage war against the enemy without Him. Perhaps we first need to step back from a situation or circumstance that hinders us and not seek a way to make it work, but seek what it is that isn’t working. Now is the time for us first identify what needs to change within us before we attempt to change what is around us. To each problem we encounter there exists a root. The only way to eliminate a problem is to unearth it at the root not strike it at the surface.

Father, guide me in understanding that great change begins within me, not what is around me. May I recognize when my attempts at problem solving are not working in favour of your great plans and purposes for my life. And help me not to strike at the surface but seek your wisdom in the roots of my very being. In Jesus name, amen.

 

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