A couple of years ago, Martha and I bought a house that didn’t have a traditional cement sidewalk. Instead, it had a paver sidewalk. Now, where we grew up in Minnesota, you could never have a paver sidewalk because of the frost and ice, but here in Florida, we don’t really have a frost problem.

So, here’s the deal, this existing home has B-E-A-U-tiful oak trees in the front yard. I have never lived in a house with large mature trees, and I love the shade and beauty they provide. However, with all this beauty came an unexpected consequence: tree roots. Here in Florida, we get a lot of rain, and I mean A LOT of rain. In the summer, it’s not unusual for us to get 60 inches of rain. So oak trees, which traditionally dig down deep with their roots to access enough water, in Florida have shallow roots because the rain keeps the soil moist.

About six months ago, I noticed one of my pavers popping up higher than those around it. I thought it might be an anomaly, but it kept getting worse and eventually became a tripping hazard. I didn’t know exactly what was under the paver causing it to pop up, but I suspected it was an evil root plotting to destroy my cool sidewalk. Yesterday, I decided to find out.

To dismantle a paver sidewalk, you have to be careful to remove the paver without chipping it, breaking it, or disturbing the other pavers. In order to get to the “root” of my problem, I had to deconstruct my sidewalk piece by piece. 

Guess what? I found gold nuggets. Tons of gold nuggets. I am rich, and this is my last blog…NO! What I found was not one root or two roots, but three roots all under one 6-inch paver, and one of the roots was two inches thick. Two inches. I actually had to remove several other pavers to get a decent amount of the big root out from under the sidewalk. This operation required the right tools to remove the pavers and cut out the evil root. Then I had to bring in fresh soil to replenish what the root had displaced and carefully put the paver back in place. After I did all of that, I again have a beautiful sidewalk.

This is so much like life as a Christian!

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit moves into our hearts. 

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you…?”

And as the new resident, the Holy Spirit has the ultimate goal of perfecting us – of getting rid of the tripping hazards in our hearts. However, to do so, he has to cut out all the evil that has rooted itself inside and which plots to destroy our lives.

Getting out the rooted evil in us can feel like surgery, like cutting off a limb. The tools the Holy Spirit uses to remove it often come in the form of adversity, or discipline, or instruction, or accountability, or trials – all of which can hurt terribly! But once the root is out, God can bring in fresh soil to replenish you and rebuild your life better than it was before!

Take some time today for self-evaluation: is there a root in your life causing a tripping hazard for you or those around you? Allow the Holy Spirit to dismantle the pavers around your heart, cut out anything that is not of Him, and replenish the soil. God’s purpose is for you to be perfected! For fresh “soil,” go to www.AwakenPodcastNetwork.com and find a podcast to supply you with encouragement, challenge, wisdom, and guidance for today and every workday.

-  Jim