See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up
to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15
Finally I couldn’t stand looking at it anymore. Everytime I went out the door,
the plant would catch my eye. And everytime it seemed bigger than the last time
I looked at it.
The oyster plant is not a weed. It does “volunteer”, however. All over the
place. It spreads and multiplies in concrete cracks, grass, about anywhere. The
top sides of the leaves are long, green blades, the undersides purple. Small
white flowers form around the stalk, encased in reddish pouches. They are tough
as nails and can root practically from anything. Sometimes even a broken leaf.
So I twisted over and reached down to yank it out by the root, but only the top
came off in my grip. I reached back in and pulled harder, still got just a few
more leaves. Firmly stuck down in the sandy dirt, squeezed behind a piece of
roof tile, it held its ground. Literally.
I thought, “If that root stays there, there will be a lot more of these before
you know it!”
That’s the whole thing about roots. If you get most, or all, of the plant out,
but not the root, you haven’t accomplished anything really. It will come
back……and come back….and spread.
I’ve heard caution about harboring a “bitter root”. It is dangerous. I looked up
the verses for “bitter root” in the bible, and found two. They certainly are
giving me something to ponder. Any way you cut it, it looks like a not-good
thing to have a bitter root.
Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart
turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations;
make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
Deuteronomy 29:18
Sally Kennedy
sallyikennedy@bellsouth.net
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