Getting to the root

My third grader has been learning about the parts of a plant lately: leaf, stem, root, fruit. As I've helped him with his homework, my knowledge of words like 'photosynthesis' have come rushing back like a bad dream.
Today I was reading Deuteronomy 29:18 - "Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit." Sometimes I see "bitter fruit" in my behavior and attitude. When I see that in myself, my instinct is to try to get rid of the fruit. But to really deal with it effectively, I need to do what this verse says: get rid of the root. Otherwise I'm just dealing with the symptoms and never treating the disease. Let's figure out the "root" cause of our bad habits and ask God to show us how to deal with them!