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| Best Fall Colors |
Roots may start small but,
eventually--with loving care, pampering, and feeding--they grow into beautiful
plants, flowers, or a tree in our yard. It's a slow process, but watching the
progress is quite satisfying and soon we see the lush result of our efforts.
Sometimes, especially for those of us who
are not gardeners, the plants start wilting, turn brown and
ugly, and never grow into anything beautiful. It's like a poison that invades
the entire root and we are not even aware of the cause!
Our Roots Are Growing!
Since we are now on our own as
single-again women, we have the fantastic choice of starting a beautiful
"garden" with our lives. Yes, we do understand it's extremely
difficult to even think about what to do or how to do it at this point. So, we
ask ourselves, what if I just don't do anything? What if I just sit here all
day long twirling my thumbs? What if I use the time to start blaming others for
my problems?
Those certainly are choices too. We can
just stop caring for ourselves and allow our "roots" to stop
growing. No one is saying we can't do that if we desire. But it will require
one thing. It will require that we admit we have given up. If we believe
that hopeless thought, then inertia will take control of our lives and nothing
good will sprout in us. We are still breathing, but not thriving. Existing, but
unable to move. We need nourishment so we can grow!
The point here is that we are stronger
than all those moments of disappointments, abuse (physical or emotional),
resentments, and pain. We are here, aren't we? Regardless of what we think
about what happened to us, we have not given up by any means! We
have fought with everything we have in us to get to this point. Our roots are
growing, slowly maybe, but growing nonetheless! Congratulations, sister!
Seven Destructive Invaders
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| Friendly Invader |
One simple truth about gardens is they
require constant weeding or unpleasant things begin to flourish. Our lives are
like that too. After what we have been through, we most certainly will need to
clear all the harmful and destructive invaders to free ourselves completely.
Think about the following "invaders
or poisonous weeds." We have all had them spring up into our hearts,
sometimes repeatedly. The Bible says we have a spiritual "thief"
(enemy) who will destroy us if we don’t pay attention. So, take these seven invaders
seriously:
Bitterness
Disappointment
Resentment
Grudges
Jealousy
Conflict/Arguments
Hatred
Hatred
[Please note: If any of these feelings
bother you to the point of destruction, please speak immediately with a
counselor.]
God plainly says, “The thief’s purpose is
to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying
life” (John 10:10 NLT). In other words, He is our answer.
A Flourishing and Glorious Garden
There is solid help available both in
this world and from God, our Heavenly Father. He provides us a Helper called
the Holy Spirit to guide us through all the "destructive invaders" so
we can create a flourishing and glorious garden. One beautiful Truth to hang
onto is: we will receive many blessings if we seek God instead of
listening to the thief/enemy.
"Look after each other so that none
of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of
bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many" (Hebrews 12:15 NLT).
