The Root of Every Problem

A while back I made a vow that I would quit my technology addiction.   I decided that anytime I heard the bing indicating I had received a message, I would not feel the urgency to check immediately. And when I did check, I would not reread and reread what the other person wrote. I would then feel the need to immediately respond.  My digital resolution lasted … well, honestly, I don’t think I ever stopped instantly looking over texts and emails. Not only did my vow not last; I didn’t even start!

The problem with how we attack our problems is that we go after the problem. We focus solely on the behavior by making a commitment to start or stop doing something.  You’ve done this too, right? You’ve decided, perhaps even declared, that you were going to change.

• • This year I’m going to eat healthily and exercise every day!

• • I’m going to stop dating anyone who is mean to me. In fact, I’m not going to date at all!

• • I’m tired of wasting my time on social media and comparing my life with everyone else’s. I’m getting off for good this time!

• • That’s it. This is the last time. I will never look at pornography again!

• • I’m not going to exaggerate or lie or gossip to get attention or feel better about myself. No more!

• • I’m going to read the Bible every morning this whole year!

Whatever your vow was, how did it go?  I would guess not well. Why? Behavior modification doesn’t work, because the focus is only on modifying behavior. You don’t get to the root of the problem, which is the unbelief in your heart.

Let’s say you hate an ugly tree in your yard. You want that tree gone. Finally, you decide the time has come to take care of the problem. So you march into your yard with a small handsaw. You pick an ugly branch and cut it off the tree. You smile and walk back into the house, triumphantly singing a medley of “All I Do Is Win” and “Another One Bites the Dust.” The next day you are shocked to see that the tree is still standing strong. As you stare out the window, you could almost swear it’s smirking at you.  I know. The analogy is absurd. You would never try to kill a tree by just removing a branch. Because the branch obviously isn’t the problem. The tree is the problem. Actually, the root system of the tree is the main culprit. If you don’t remove the root system when you cut down the tree, it could still grow back.

I try to ask myself with any struggle or temptation…what’s the real problem behind the problem?  So think about a current struggle or problem in your life and let me ask you, “What’s the real problem behind the problem?”

Thinking I can change a behavior just by removing the behavior is absurd. The behavior isn’t the root problem.  Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show where the unbelief lies in your heart (maybe about who God is or Who you are in Christ).