Cut Off at the Root
When we moved into our home a little more than a year ago, one of the first things we took notice of was an oak tree. It was a beautiful tree but still young. Already it had grown to a height where it touched the roof. Its branches were broad enough to where they would hit and scrape against our bathroom window.
As much potential as the oak tree had, we decided that it needed to go for several reasons. It had the potential to cause serious damage if a bad storm rolled through because it was planted so close to the house. The windows and the roof were vulnerable. The root system could cause damage to the foundation of the house in the future. Lastly, because of where the tree was planted, it blocked our home in a way where you could not appreciate the full beauty of the home.
So, we had the tree cut down but only to its stump. Cutting down a tree and stump removal are two totally separate services! The latter is very costly because of the process which involves grinding the stump so that the root system can die and be removed from the ground. Several months later, we realized the oak tree is still alive. There are branches growing from the sides of the stump and if we don’t remove the root itself, that oak tree will never truly be gone.
The same can be said for the temptations, addictions, and problems we face in marriage. Oftentimes, we will deal with the issue just enough for it to seemingly go away, to satisfy our spouse or to quiet the conflict. But the issue hasn’t gone away at all. You just cut out the issue the same way we cut down our oak tree. You might think it’s gone because you don’t see it. We thought our oak tree was gone! On the contrary, the issue is still very much alive because you never attacked it at the root. So, there is potential for off-shoots of the same issue to grow either now or in the future.
Ask yourself, “Am I removing or am I just cutting down?” There is a difference!