Some would call my life—and perhaps yours—adventurous, exhausting, or even strange.
We pack boxes, fill up passport pages, make friends, say goodbye, move countries, or just down the street— we put down roots, and they get pulled right back up again. The questions inevitably arise, and each of us holds our own answers: Why do we choose this path? What compels us to uproot our lives, move from one place to another, and sometimes return—or perhaps never return at all?
I’ve experienced sixteen major moves in my forty-eight years on this earth. (I’m not even counting the “minor moves”—long-term trips for student work, home leaves, or medical stays.) But being rooted is far more than planting oneself in a physical location, a project, people, or an organization. If my sense of stability depended on a place, a job, or a mission, I would be sorely disappointed. The real question is not where I am planted, but whose soil I am planted in. The world’s? A ministry? Or the source of all life—our Creator God?
I don’t like to admit this, but there was a time when I placed my entire identity in the work I was doing overseas. I didn’t start out that way, but eventually I became so deeply rooted- entrenched- in “the work” that I eventually lost myself, leading to severe burnout. I was “too busy” to draw my strength from the rich soil of God’s Word, so I watered myself with work, relationships, and endless activities. Even though I was working for the Lord, I had been neglecting my own growth in the Lord.
Eventually I just kind of dried up, and it showed.
Many years ago, while our family was living in a remote part of Southeast Asia, my eight-year-old son developed appendicitis and nearly lost his life because of it. We had to travel an entire day, winding through narrow mountain roads to get him to a hospital for emergency surgery. I was beside myself, frantic to get him the help he needed. After the operation, my husband stayed in the hospital with our son while I made the nine-hour journey back home to care for our other children who had been staying with local friends. When I arrived at our cold, empty apartment, I collapsed onto the floor of my son’s room and began weeping. The “what ifs” tormented me, and as my sobs grew louder, I remember pressing myself into the floor, desperate to feel grounded, desperate for something solid.
In that moment, a verse surfaced in my heart: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).
I realized then that I had been going through the motions—putting my trust in myself, my work, and even my team. Even during the crisis with my son, I didn’t cry out to God or THINK of His peace that helps us get through all circumstances, until I was at the end of myself. I was alone, vulnerable, and thirsty for hope. Despite visible fruit and meaningful ministry, I was withering inside and totally depleted. I had spent so much time pouring out that I had not been replenishing my soul with His Word. And then, when the winds of crisis blew, I was left grasping. I had been planting myself in the work of God, rather than in God Himself.
This was a hard lesson to learn. It took time, but after a long sabbatical, I planted myself once again in the rich and nourishing soil of God’s mercy and grace. To be rooted is to abide in Christ. It is to draw life from Him, to allow His truth to nourish and sustain us. We can be “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” (Psalm 1:3). A tree with deep roots can withstand storms, droughts, and shifting seasons because its foundation is firm. Likewise, when we are rooted in Christ, we can remain steadfast in the unseen work of growth, trusting that God is working in and through us, even when we cannot see it.
When Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5), He illustrates our complete dependence on Him. Just as a branch relies on the vine for life and fruitfulness, we too must remain connected to Christ, our source of spiritual nourishment.
My friends, there will be times of discouragement, doubt, and exhaustion. The erosion of our confidence, energy, and even faith can feel relentless.
Being rooted means trusting that God will sustain us, even when we feel weak.
It means believing He is at work, even when our efforts seem fruitless.
It means drawing our strength from the source of Life, and not striving to do everything on our own.
It means remaining in Him, even when everything else feels uncertain.
In doing so, we find that He is more than enough. And in His time, we will bear fruit that lasts; fruit that lasts because we are rooted in God’s grace.
What Bible verses keep you rooted on the hard days?
