Chipping Away

We recently had a few problem trees felled on our property that were pushing over retaining walls.  Because one stump was very close to a fencepost encased in concrete and the retaining wall, the stump grinder was unable to remove a large portion of the stump.  So over the past week I have chipping away on the stump, removing bits at a time, as the stump under the surface of the ground must be removed before the retaining wall can be prepared.  And it isn't easy.

While pine wood is considered a softwood, a pine stump is a powerful force to be reckoned with.  The grain of the wood is twisted in every direction, and only repeated blows with a heavy digging bar makes any headway to chip and split the wood apart.  The impact of the 10 kilo bar on the stump transfers vibrations into the hands and fingers that cause blisters and tears skin.  As I toiled yesterday in the heat for awhile, I had to be content with slow progress and quit before I had my fill to conserve skin on my hands with the future sessions in mind.  It is amazing that in about 5 years the tree grew out of control and damaged the property, and how resistant even in death the tree roots were to being removed.

As I dropped the digging bar repeatedly upon the stump, it occurred to me it was a hard but necessary task.  If anything was every going to be planted there instead--grass, groundcover or shrubs--the stump needed to be removed.  The stump that impeded a plumb retaining wall also prevented anything new from growing in that spot.  This provided insight into the impact sin can have in our hearts.  Weeds can be insidious and tough to eradicate, but stumps require much more effort to remove.  It struck me that God has freed Christians from the curse of sin and the power it wielded over us, yet old habits can be engrained in us like a stubborn stump in the ground.  Sure, the tree isn't dropping pine needles in the gutters anymore, but our lives can still be impacted by stumps allowed to remain unmoved under the surface.

By the power of the Gospel Jesus cleanses Christians from the presence and power of sin, and we need God's strength and help to deal with the consequences of being a sinner, to be further sanctified in a corruptible body.  If we desire to have the fruit of the Spirit produced in our lives, we must take intentional action to put off the old ways of living and thinking and be renewed in the spirit of our minds.  Rather than doubling-down by the works of the flesh, we are to submit ourselves to the leading, guidance and help of the Holy Spirit.  We are justified in a moment by faith in Jesus, but sanctification takes time and hard work.  Paul used the example of an athlete who exhibits self-control in all things because winning the race or boxing match is paramount to a champion, and Paul brought his own body under subjection to avoid disqualification in ministry (1 Cor. 9:21-24).

Those who see the folly of sowing among thorns ought to recognise the silliness of sowing among stumps.  We Christians can feel we are fighting a losing battle with all the shoots that spring from the stumps of trees, of old sinful habits and ways God has cut down in our lives.  Rather than the half measure of dutifully pruning the green shoots of sin that seems to resurrect themselves in our words and deeds, let us do all we can to chip away at stumps as well--to deal with the heart of the matter, what lies under the surface where only God can see how deep it goes.  We can only see what is plainly visible, but the LORD looks at the heart and what is inside us.  Praise the LORD He is able to give us new hearts and minds, to do work impossible for us according to the riches of His grace.

My aching hands show me how it hurts us to remove sinful ways from our hearts that have been there a long time (our entire lives), things we actually at a stage valued and viewed as an important part of us.  The flesh resists and hates the sanctification process, and it whines and cries like a pampered child when it does not have its way.  Ground can lay fallow and unploughed due to neglect or because it is littered with stumps that need to go.  Faithfully chipping away at the stump reminds me of the exhortation in Hosea 10:12 all God's people ought to take to heart:  "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you."  Breaking up our fallow ground feels like it is breaking us, yet there is always healing, redemption and hope in our awesome Saviour who is righteousness for us.