Good morning…
When my friend texted me her picture of sheep grazing in a gorgeous field on the back roads of France, I could not help but return to her my own sheep picture. “The photo of our borrowed sheep is not as stunning as yours,” I admitted, “but I am learning so much about the tedious process of digging up deep, longstanding roots.”
I am sad that tonight is our final night with our peaceful, ivy-eating friends.
Before hiring our flock of ten, we researched the difference between sheep and goats. John the shepherd taught us that goats graze on the surface of things. Nibbling off all the green leaves in sight, a herd of goats can quickly clear a landscape laden with overgrowth. But sheep are different. Sheep dig down and remove the root system beneath the pesky plants. It took about four days for our ten sheep to clear all of the green ivy in our back yard, but these sheep have stayed for two full weeks to uproot, pull up, and destroy the roots beneath the surface. Lifting up each ugly root, they munch them down like individual spaghetti noodles. As the roots are uprooted, the hardened ground is loosened, ready to be tilled. Inviting the hope that old overgrowth will not return, sheep deal with to the root of the problem.
People have asked, “What will you do with the space cleared of ivy?” Last week, Steve and I visited, beside our sheep, with a friend who is a master gardener. She encouraged us to test our soil to see what nutrients have been deleted from years and years of invasive ivy. When we learn what is needed, we will rent a rototiller, break up the soil and add the nutrients needed to sustain lush new life. Autumn ferns. Various hostas. Hydrangeas of different colors. With a ton of shade, we will welcome the beauty of fresh perennial growth.
As we sat beside the sheep discussing the events of the past month, another friend and I marveled at all the uprooting which has occurred in her extended family over the past several years. Old ugly roots have been exposed – controlling negativity, racist attitudes, and various types of abuse. Conversing month after month, together we have been digging up deep roots, painfully examining them, and removing them from the growing garden of her immediate family. Since we have been dealing with the real root of intergenerational problems, we are encouraged by the hope that old, invasive overgrowth will not return to perpetuate painful patterns.
When we uproot old depleting dynamics, we offer ourselves space to add the rich nutrients which sustain new growth. Honesty. Integrity. Freedom. Joy. These are the abundant gifts I see growing in her family’s garden as they come off of the high school graduation weekend for their talented only son. I know the future will be different because my friend has invested in the hard work of digging up deep, ugly roots, making space for the grace of God to be peacefully tilled into the soil of her family.
Follow after peace with everyone, and the holiness which is necessary before you can see the Lord. Take good care that nobody lacks God’s grace; don’t let any ‘root of bitterness spring up to cause trouble’, defiling many people (Hebrews 12:14-15, NTE).
…Sue…
