Don't Step On Your Roots

On a recent trip, some of us had the chance to visit Kakum National Park in Ghana. To experience the famous canopy walk, you first have to hike up a steep, difficult hill. Our guide, Yao, pointed out the massive, ancient tree roots that crisscrossed the path. As we navigated the rough terrain, he paused and gave a simple, profound instruction: “In order to make it safely and successfully up this mountain, please don’t step on the roots!” That phrase captured my attention, because it’s a key to life, not just for a hike in the rainforest, but for our journey as a people.

Like that group climbing the hill, we as a people are climbing mountains of systemic racism, structural inequality, and economic deprivation. If we are going to make it to the top, we cannot step on our roots. This is the same wisdom God gave the Israelites through Moses. As they prepared to move toward the Promised Land, God gave them specific instructions about how to treat the people and the land they passed through. To go forward into their future, they had to remember where they came from. They had to build a community that did not mirror the oppression they had left behind.