Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

Not so long ago Fred Pratt gave us some good Lifelines on growth, the grass seed struggling to reach the light, growing right up in the middle of the pavement. As I wrote yesterday not all the things which we plant in our hearts are godly or good for us.

I had planted a seed of unforgiveness in my heart. Whenever this weed grew I saw it and cut it off like mowing the weeds in my yard. You see the weed, you do not want to allow that weed to spread its own seed so you cut it off.

I’ve been successful in cutting the weed. I even forgave the man who shot me. I did this for my own sake, to have a pretty lawn. But the root of the weed was still alive and kept growing back. I had failed to kill the root. Recently, during a small group study, I exposed the root stem, and traced it down to the root, so that I might dig it out.

The stem appeared in the form of my being critical of others. The root source of my being critical turned out to be unforgiveness, not of others but of myself. While I could find it within my abilities to forgive others, I failed to forgive myself for all the pain and suffering I had caused over the years.

I quote Philippians 3:3 above as a reminder that forgetting is a sign of forgiveness. Looking back at who I was and remembering the pain was the enemy’s way of keeping my eyes off the prize ahead.

Some of the seeds that are sown in our lives were sown in the “old man” who is dead. Just as a dead lawn can be reseeded and brought to new life, care must be taken to root out the weeds and not just mow them down as they appear.

Heavenly Father I pray You will expose those roots which are not from you in the Light of Your Word, so that we can get to the root of the matter and remove it. AMEN