A Minty Metaphor

"What? More mint?!" you ask? Yeah.  But I decided recently (while out pulling, again, more of the invasive root system out of my small patch of backyard planter space) that there is actually a nice little gospel metaphor here.  Or at least, kinda. ;)  Stay with me.

Remember how I spent two hours one day pulling up mint and it's roots from that small little area in my backyard?  A week or so later, my amazing home teacher (and great friend) Nate came and helped me chop of some of the remaining root system and to try and clear out the area for good.  In about 30 minutes of some serious shovel jumping and root pulling, this is what we got:

These are all just roots.  

Since then, every few days I have gone out to weed this little patch of dirt, having taken an interest in keeping it mint-free.  (Note, that is not "minty fresh.")  I find myself taking a bit of pleasure in keeping it clear.

Last week, I went out and only saw this little piece of green minty leaves sticking up out of the freshly churned dirt:

Just two little sprigs, as small as my fingernail.  But when I went to pull them up.....

...this is what they were attached to.  (You can see the small sprigs in the top right corner.)

I knew there would be more roots where that came from (even though I'd been pulling them up every few days--these things are seriously endless!!), so I just used my hand and dug a little deeper to unearth these...

All roots still living, buried just below the surface, and growing every-which way, spreading themselves far and wide before ever even sprouting a noticeable blade above the ground.

I decided that this is a lot like (drum roll) ...sin!  :) I know.  But really.  We often only focus on surface things--actions or habits or thoughts that have sprouted into something noticeable--something that others can see.  We don't think listening to music with innuendo or inappropriate lyrics is that bad, because we rarely immediately see the effects of our listening to it.  We don't see any real changes to our behaviors or thoughts, at least not big ones, so we don't see it as that bad.  But meanwhile, that music, or that movie, or that book, or those pictures, or that outfit we wear, or whatever it may be are all building roots inside of us that, if left unchecked, are going to be incredibly difficult to completely uproot and get rid of.  Seriously hard.  Our brain has an amazing capacity to remember things...and to be influenced by things because of that.  Our thoughts are made up of what we put into our brains, and slowly our thoughts shape us.  Only in time will some of these things maybe start to manifest themselves in a way that shows us that we need to change or get rid of something in our life--pull out that little sprig of mint.  People who struggle with everything from self-doubt to addictions to procrastination will all be able to someday see that that seemingly small and "easy" to uproot sprout is really just a small outward manifestation of a bigger inner problem that affects more things than one, and that will take more than just a quick fix to really uproot and fully get rid of.  But it's possible. :)  With constant care and digging! :)

For me...I've been jealous and prideful a lot of late, and struggled with not comparing myself to others.  Being a little unforgiving or hard on myself at times doesn't seem like that big of a deal, and complaining to my roommates about that girl who just drives me crazy also can feel pretty harmless.  But I know now just how invasive and extensive the roots those things have grown inside me, and they are really...really hard to get rid of.  Pride, in all its forms, is INVASIVE and really does grow and spread roots that touch everything, and that affect everything.  A few times I have done something that made me notice the little "sprig" of sin that had sprouted and was seeable, and that made me want to change it.  It seemed small, but then I realized just how connected that little action was to a much bigger thought process I needed to face.  Hence prayers and fasting and studying and smaller daily efforts to change it.  Gotta keep digging. :) I now feel something a little therapeutic and satisfying each time I go outside and pull up a few more of these mint roots.  I know I'm getting closer!

Anyways.  I know I am sort of rambling at this point, but I really did think that with all this pulling and digging, there had to be a gospel analogy somewhere :)... .

This was longer than I wanted or intended.  You get some mint-chocolate chip ice cream for reading through all this.  (I never said all things mint were bad!) Go digging! :)