Bitterness
“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Hebrews 12:15)
When we look at a potted flower, we see the pot, the stems, leaves, flowers and soil. Roots often remain hidden and in order to see them, they must be exposed. So, when we remove the plant from the pot, the roots are easily visible. People see our appearances but the bitterness that’s rooted in us often remains hidden. Hidden or not, those roots of bitterness can cause defilement of us and others. “What bitterness is hidden in me?” I wondered. Bitterness develops when we form strong opinions about others; when we judge others.
The speaker took the potted plant she was using to illustrate and poured some water over the exposed roots. A bit of soil washed away but not much. But when she dunked it into a bowl of water, she was able to remove all the soil. Without soil, the roots can’t grow. And so with us. We can either be sprinkled by the Living Water or be immersed in it.
And then she reminded us about the mustard seed. Jesus said that it’s the smallest of seeds and yet, when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree so that birds can perch in its branches. But Jesus also said that if we had faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, we could tell mountains to move and they would. Imagine the mustard seed as it grows in the garden. What happens with the roots? They grow too and the network of roots begin to displace other roots, such as those of bitterness.
What a contrast! We can have roots of bitterness, which can defile many or we can have roots of faith which will crowd out unwanted roots and, like the mustard plant giving shelter to the birds, we can use our faith to bless those towards whom we’ve been bitter. Isn’t that cool?
When we look at a potted flower, we see the pot, the stems, leaves, flowers and soil. Roots often remain hidden and in order to see them, they must be exposed. So, when we remove the plant from the pot, the roots are easily visible. People see our appearances but the bitterness that’s rooted in us often remains hidden. Hidden or not, those roots of bitterness can cause defilement of us and others. “What bitterness is hidden in me?” I wondered. Bitterness develops when we form strong opinions about others; when we judge others.
The speaker took the potted plant she was using to illustrate and poured some water over the exposed roots. A bit of soil washed away but not much. But when she dunked it into a bowl of water, she was able to remove all the soil. Without soil, the roots can’t grow. And so with us. We can either be sprinkled by the Living Water or be immersed in it.
And then she reminded us about the mustard seed. Jesus said that it’s the smallest of seeds and yet, when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree so that birds can perch in its branches. But Jesus also said that if we had faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, we could tell mountains to move and they would. Imagine the mustard seed as it grows in the garden. What happens with the roots? They grow too and the network of roots begin to displace other roots, such as those of bitterness.
What a contrast! We can have roots of bitterness, which can defile many or we can have roots of faith which will crowd out unwanted roots and, like the mustard plant giving shelter to the birds, we can use our faith to bless those towards whom we’ve been bitter. Isn’t that cool?
posted by Magdaleine at 4:59 PM
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