Lay the Axe to the Root

I was visiting with a friend the other evening. She was asking me why I thought she was struggling with memories from the past that she thought she had dealt with and forgotton. I was floored by the question mainly because I, too, had been plagued recently with some issues of the past springing back up to haunt me.

I think sometimes we are confused when issues we thought we had "conquered" show up later on in our lives. If you've read my blog or know me at all, it is no secret that I have had some issues with my family as I was growing up. There were many dysfunctional aspects to our family unit. There were also many wonderful aspects to our family which I have come to appreciate greatly. Recently, a situation arose which troubled me more than I thought it should have. In an instant, I switched from being the Diane who has learned to change her thought processes and has overcome the past and is living victoriously and forgivingly to Diane who wants to wring someone's neck and insists on wallowing in self-pity, hatred, and unforgiveness. Wow, what happened here? I felt like I was 12 years old again, trying to sort out and deal with adult problems in order to protect those I love.

Just like my friend, who is reliving some terrible memories from her childhood, I realized that something deeper was going on in my heart. I told my friend that maybe God was allowing us to relive some of these feelings in order to get to the root of some left-over behaviors - sort of residue if you will. I think that things we go through sometimes cause us to make decisions that allow strongholds into our lives. Sometimes we make inner vows that need to be broken. These strongholds can go undetected for many years. I think God allows us to deal with them piece by piece sometimes - a little more of the stronghold is chipped away at each level of maturity we reach. Eventually, when we are ready, we are presented with the opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit to lay the axe to the root of the stronghold. That is when we find true freedom from these issues.

God showed me, through my wise husband, that I needed to set some new boundaries in my family relationships. It was the scariest thing I ever had to do. But God, in His infinite mercy, had already prepared the way and was speaking to other family members as well. The whole thing went so smoothly. I truly felt like I put that little girl to rest and a little more of the victorious woman emerged.

What about my friend? Why would God allow her to recall memories of abuse that she had tried so hard for years to forget? Well, I asked her to explore the idea that maybe God wanted to dig deeper into her heart - to confront strongholds and inner vows that were hiding there. Maybe there are things that are keeping her from fully trusting or loving God. Maybe there are things that are keeping her from having sucessful relationships. Maybe there is unforgiveness. Maybe there are insecurities He wants to reveal and replace with confidence. I don't know the answers. She will have to discren them herself. But I do know that God is faithful to us and that His word says that all things work together for our good.

How about you? Are there issues that keep resurfacing in your life? Maybe it's time for a deeper look into your heart. Is there a destructive behavior that you just can't get away from? Do you just keep on and keep on doing things that you know profit you nothing but heartache? Maybe you just get angry, I mean really angry over stupid things - things that seem little. Maybe you sabatoge your relationships or continue to get involved with people who hurt you. Whatever the "branch" is that's growing from your tree, be assured that there is a "root". Ask the Holy Spirit to come and lay His axe to the root. There will be pain involved for sure, but from personal experience, I've learned that the Holy Spirit strikes swift and true.