What's blocking you?

          ​It became a habit almost every morning, as I looked out my kitchen window, to fix my eyes on a red-brick, two-story house at the top of the hill. It fascinated me for some reason, maybe because I wondered ever so often if anyone lived there because it seemed so abandoned. I would sometimes see vines covering it and other times it was free of greenery. But one morning, I really took notice because of how thick this particular vine covering was. They covered most of one wall of the house from top to bottom so that it was barely visible. 
         As I pondered this, different thoughts started going through my mind about life and the fact that at times there are things “blocking” us, covering us, preventing us and the world from seeing and experiencing our true potential. Unfortunately, these things, if left unchecked, can truly hinder us from being all God has created us to be. I’ve been thinking about the things that are like vines in our lives: fear, doubt, worry, sin and sometimes an unhealthy concern about people’s opinion of us. You see, the vines covering that house seemed harmless. They were not destroying the house per se, as far as I know, they were simply “blocking” it, hindering the eye from seeing what was really there – a house. In our lives the same thing happens. Here’s the problem: we don’t see it as a big issue – no one is being hurt, it doesn’t seem to be affecting anyone’s life in a negative way – yet it is actually hindering us from being all that we are created to be and preventing us from doing the great things God wants to do in and through us. 
         One day, I happened to notice a man cutting away some of the vines. He was not tall enough and barely seemed capable of this mammoth task. That’s how those obstacles in our life sometimes seem, insurmountable, like there is no way that you will ever be able to overcome the fear; worry and doubt seem to consume you; and the very people you are battling to please seem incapable of seeing your true value and worth. You feel stumped, you feel defeated, you feel hopeless even helpless. 
         But, there is something that started happening to those vines. No, there was no way that this one man could cut down all of that, he seemed so tiny and insignificant against the backdrop of this huge task. He had to apply a chemical to kill it and so destroy the entire mass. What was interesting to me was that the vines did not die immediately. For the next week or so, as I looked up at this house each day, I witnessed these vines drying up bit by bit until gradually I began to see the house again. The process was very slow, but I was once more fascinated as  windows and walls gradually became visible.
         That’s what our God is there for. He knows how to “clean out the clutter” or in this case, help us deal with those things in our life that are blocking out the good things He has deposited in us. Unfortunately, the process does take time. But, as we surrender each issue to Him, He works assiduously to allow the best you, the best me to shine out. That’s His job. Our job is to surrender, trust, and obey His instructions. Yes, it can be difficult to do but it’s worth it in the end. 
         Now, when I look up I’m seeing windows and realize I had forgotten where the windows even were in the first place. Now, natural light can actually penetrate that house once more and brighten things up. That’s what God will do for us too. As He removes the vines in our lives, we become brighter and more alive because we are now positioned to fulfil His original plan and purpose for us.
         If Jesus is not the Lord of your life, ask Him to come in and clean up the mess that is there and help you be the person He wants you to be. If you are already His child, yes, the mess may not go away immediately but as you surrender each area to Him, and trust that He knows what He is doing, He will faithfully clear away whatever your vines may be. He will do it. You just have to surrender and trust the process He is taking you through.