I've lived in my home for almost 10 years. It's hard to believe that it's been that long, but it's true. And the only thing that's really irked me ever since I moved in is the azalea bushes in my yard. They had been here for what looked like decades prior to my arrival, and some had grown even taller than the house. I've never been fond of their daunting presence. Oh, I love the beautiful white, pink and purple blooms they offer in the Spring, and it's hard for me to even imagine Easter pictures without an azalea blooming somewhere in the background. But those couple of weeks of color in the Spring doesn't last long. And it certainly doesn't make up for the months that they're not blooming and are just overgrown and unsightly.
I've tried trimming them in years past, but they always come back with a vengeance - fuller and taller than ever before. With each new season they seemed to take over more and more. There was just no stopping them it seemed. Until yesterday. Yesterday they were dug up. Removed from the ground by the roots. They may have been ridiculously tall and overgrown, but they were no match for the backhoe! Within just a few minutes every one of them was out of my yard and on the pile of trash to be burned - right where they belonged!
I'm not sure why it took me nearly 10 years to finally become sick enough of them to order them gone. I guess the main reason is because I never could decide what to put back in their place. But you know what? I still haven't decided. Right now nothing is going back in their place. This morning I'm enjoying the open space that's been left by their removal. Sure the dirt is disturbed and the ground is a bit of a mess where they had been so deeply imbedded for years, but even the dirt is a prettier site to me than the azaleas were. Even without knowing what will eventually replace them - I'm glad they're gone! And the best part is they won't be coming back. They can't sprout new leaves and put on new growth and come back stronger than before. They have permanently been removed from my landscape.
The Bible tells us that the only way to get rid of sin and the things that cause us to sin is to remove them from our landscape. Permanently. If we just trim them back but keep them around, they are certain to come back stronger and more powerful than before. Just like the azaleas, they will keep coming back over and over again, determined to take over more and more of our lives each and every time. The only way to remove sin and the things that lead us to it - no matter WHAT those things may be - is to dig it up by the roots and dispose of it permanently, no matter what the cost.
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[a]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?"
~ 2 Corinthians 6:14,15
"If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."
~ Matthew 5:29,30
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