Walk 1440 for May 21st, 2008

There is a sidewalk not far from my house with a root growing underneath it which causes the sidewalk to be uneven
The root is so big that if I’m not paying attention I can trip over that ripple in the sidewalk causing me to fall or stub my toe…either of which can cause a lot of pain
Have you considered that your life may be like sidewalk?
Is your life like a smooth, flat sidewalk which offers a peaceful & pleasant journey to whoever would be your companion?
Or is your life like a broken up, uneven sidewalk which only offers a painful & unpleasant trip or fall to whoever would be your companion?
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 NIV
Just like a sidewalk, our lives can be complicated by a root…a root of bitterness
It has always amazed me that a root of a plant can grow underneath a sidewalk in such a way to eventually destroy that sidewalk…rendering the sidewalk useless
At one time that root was small, insignificant & not given much notice but given the proper nutrition all roots grow
In your conversations, do you find yourself willing to "cause trouble" in the lives of others?
In your conversations do you find yourself willing to "defile", tarnish, dirty, or stain the lives of others?
If you are willing to do these things to the people around you…could it be that a root of bitterness has grown into your life?
What causes bitterness in people towards other people?
"See to it that no one misses the grace of God…"
We all have experienced bitterness in our life due to the pain of our actions or others actions; bitterness due to our failures or where others have failed us…we have a choice to grow the bitterness of that moment or grow in the grace of God
If you choose to "feed" the hurt & pain you feel… a root of bitterness will naturally begin to crack the "sidewalk" of your life…your life will be marked by unevenness, the pain of "stubbed toes", & falls
How do we keep roots of bitterness from growing into our life that hurt our self & others?
Bitterness comes when we miss "the grace of God"…
Bitterness comes from a focus on ourselves trying to correct what we have done to our self or trying to correct others in what they have done to us
Not missing the grace of God means a focus on God & what God has done for us to take away the pain we’ve caused our self & the pain others have caused us
There are 1440 minutes in a day….WALK1440 focusing on God to understand grace