Several years ago, I hired a landscaping company for a major clean-up project around my yard. Among other services, the landscaper recommended the removal of two small trees. Without much effort, he was able to extricate the first tree in its entirety. However, the second tree proved to be a bit more challenging. He amputated the trunk, leaving behind the stump, including the roots. The results weren’t quite what I expected, but he assured me that, over time, the remnants (the dying and dead things) would cease growing and would eventually wither.
An Eyesore
After the project, the once stately tree was reduced to an unsightly clump that stood on display in front of my house. Occasionally, I would try to unearth the severed remains, but the roots firmly anchored them to the ground. Over the years, I eventually grew tired of my futile removal attempts. However, the defiant display of these dying dead things angered me. Every now and then, I would scowl at the grotesque mass.
The Epiphany
This past week, which is now years later, I was clearing the area around the decayed stump. In anger, I slammed the shovel into one of the roots. For the first time, I was able to penetrate the structure. The entire root shattered, and the stump buckled. Fervently, I dug around the stump until I was finally able to extricate it from the soil. As soon as the stump was freed, I had an epiphany: That tree did not die overnight. It had been dead for quite some time.
Over the years, my failed attempts to remove the stump resulted in discouragement, which caused me to cease trying. In fact, during one of my final instances, I narrowly escaped injury when, during an act of frustration, I slammed my shovel into the roots. Again, they did not budge. Following that incident, I had conditioned my mind to believe that I had to hang on to the “dead thing.”
Living With Dead Things
As I reflected on my dead-stump experience, I wondered: How many times in our lives have we embraced dying or dead things simply because our initial attempts to extricate ourselves were unsuccessful? Could it be that our premature decision to terminate our removal efforts is based on our failure to realize that, like with everything in life, timing is critical? In other words, our failure to initially remove our dead things could have simply been due to ill timing. Consequently, our choices could have possibly resulted in the abortion of our freedom.
For several years, I had been living with a rotten root in the front of my house. The decayed matter encompassed an entire patch of landscape, and as a result of the illegitimate occupancy, there was no room to plant anything else. For all intents and purposes, that area was barren.
The example of my dead tree stump is a perfect metaphor for what happens when we fail to remove decay. It illustrated how, by hanging on to dead things for longer than we should, certain areas of our lives can become barren. In essence, those areas become infertile ground devoid of new growth or hope.
Defining Dead Things
Before we can free ourselves of dead matter, we must first take inventory of our lives. We need to identify the things that are dead or dying. This can include friendships, relationships, jobs, or habits—things that were once vital but are now dead or things that have been slowly decaying over the years.
So how do we determine whether the things in our lives are dead? Well… We need to evaluate the roots. In the case of my tree stump, when the roots were vital, the stump was immovable. It wasn’t until the roots died that the stump was able to be dislodged. As we assess our lives, we need to evaluate our root systems’ integrity. We need to determine whether they are anchoring life (or hope) or tethering death.
Job 14:7-9 says:
7 “At least there is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not fail.
8 Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump die in the soil,
9 yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant (New International Bible, 1978/2011).
Are we holding on to dead things? Are we being anchored by roots that are capable of producing and sustaining life? If not, we need to cut off those decayed roots and let go of the dead things so that we can develop new anchorages and grow new life!
As far as my dead tree stump, I’ve decided to plant a beautiful flower in its place.
The story of my dead tree stump is the perfect reminder that there are things in our lives that we need to purge. Moreover, we need to conduct constant surveillance to ensure that we are not unnecessarily toting dead matter. Failure to do so can impede our growth and create an undue burden. Finally, I hope this story of the dead tree stump will serve as a reminder to remove dead matter from our lives today.
Bible References:
New International Bible. (2011). The NIV Bible. https://www.thenivbible.com (Original work published 1978)