Dear Friends,

One incident this morning is worthy of sharing because it held such a marked awareness for me. I have moved on to the side bed in the backyard, which is full of Bermuda, otherwise known as devil grass, and one can well see why. About 2/3 of the bed has grown up past ankle high, and the other third was very entrenched but not that high yet. I have dug up, turned over, and disengaged the Bermuda and its roots from about 15 feet of the 50-foot bed. The Bermuda has been there long enough for the roots to be very established and thick. The root structure going underground is like white cords, which send shoots up everywhere. It’s all tangled together and quite resistant to being removed.

This morning when I was digging, I had to try to find shovel room around a sizeable root with some arms running from the main root. That went on for a while, making it rather difficult going, but I was determined to persist and did make slow progress. Then with one particular shovel hold under the grass, up came the root structure with it. It was deeply attached at one end, broken at the other where it was smaller. It became accessible enough to cut and remove, freeing that whole space. Once the root was removed, the digging was relatively easy, the roots of the Bermuda were not gripping a deeper and more sizeable obstacle, and so were noticeably less difficult to expose and shake loose. The work could proceed freely with the root structure under the grass removed.

Of course, I thought of the roots that hold our bondages in place, and how hard it is to progress in removing what has grown on top while the root is still in place underneath. It is difficult digging to get down to the root, but if we want the whole area cleared, the root will have to be removed.

For those who are at a place of hitting a deep root that makes movement tough, don’t give up! A shovel-full is coming that will lift it and expose the root, and arms of it so it can be removed. Then the work can proceed to free and restore the ground for new things.

In the first 15 feet cleared I have planted an orange tree. Its fragrant blossoms will scent the backyard, and then it will bear fruit in its season for my family and our friends. It struck me that most forms of the Lord’s restoration have a similar look, progression, and, thankfully, fulfillment!

Love in Jesus,

Suzan