It Wasn’t the Roses That Were Failing
I thought I needed more effort—until God showed me what was wrong beneath the surface
This story isn’t about roses.
But I’ll start there.
Jeremy and I have been trying to grow roses in our flower beds for years.
And for years, nothing grew. We watered. We fertilized. We replanted more than once. And every time, the same result: brittle stems, shrinking leaves, and eventually, nothing.
For a long time, I assumed we just weren’t doing enough. More water. Better fertilizer. Try again.
But last spring, I did something I’d never done before. I tested the soil.
And just like that, everything made sense.
The pH in our North Texas dirt was completely off. For years, this same soil had produced healthy, beautiful plants with very little effort from us.
But somewhere along the way, something shifted without us realizing it. What had once supported growth was now working against it.
The Invisible Work
So we stopped trying to grow anything. That part was harder than I expected!
Instead, we focused on the soil. We didn’t tear everything up or start over from scratch. We just began the slow, unremarkable work of restoring what couldn’t be seen: adjusting, testing, waiting.
Month after month, nothing changed—at least not where we could see it. Eventually, Jeremy dug up the last of the dying rose bushes. And for a while, our flower beds looked like a failure. Empty, unproductive, completely dead.
But underneath the surface, something was shifting.
A few weeks ago, Jeremy tested the soil again. “The pH is perfect,” he said, smiling.
So we tried again. And this time, the roses took off.
Every morning, we wake up to new growth. Soft green leaves reaching upward. Clusters of frilly, magenta blooms opening in the early spring light.
It looks like it happened overnight.
It didn’t.
The Turning
Like I said, this story isn’t about roses.
Lately, I’ve felt something similar happening in my own life. Like God has been turning over the soil in my heart.
Not gently.
More like a spade cutting deep—exposing things I didn’t realize had been there for years.
Soil that had been neglected.
Under-nourished.
Quietly poisoning the very growth I had been praying for.
The Realization
I’ve spent a lot of my life trying harder. Trying to be better. To fix things. To grow things.
And when things didn’t change, I assumed the problem was me not doing enough. Not being enough. Not trying hard enough.
But what if the problem wasn’t effort?
What if the soil was off?
There are parts of my life I’ve quietly given up on before. Not all at once—but slowly, over time. Because nothing seemed to grow there.
And yet, even in seasons that feel still, Scripture reminds us: “I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?” (Isaiah 43:19).
Not always visible and not always immediate. But already in motion.
The Truth
Growth doesn’t start where you think it does.
It doesn’t start with effort. Or discipline. Or trying harder. (Read that line again!)
It starts beneath the surface.
And if the soil is wrong, no amount of effort will make something thrive.
But when the soil is right, growth comes naturally. Steadily. Inevitably.
So if something in your life isn’t growing, maybe it’s not because you’re failing. Maybe it’s because God is doing something deeper first.
Maybe He’s restoring the soil.
If You’re in a Season Like This
Sometimes the hardest part of these seasons is that they don’t look like progress.
They feel quiet, invisible, even discouraging.
I’ve learned that these are often the seasons where God is doing something I can’t yet see.
Here are a few clues that you might be in one too:
You’re putting in effort, but seeing little to no visible results
Things feel stripped back, quieter, or even regressing
Old beliefs, wounds, or patterns are being exposed
You feel stretched internally more than you see change externally
God feels present, but He’s not producing the outcomes you expected
These are not signs that something is wrong.
They may be signs that something deep is being restored.
What This Season Might Be Asking of You
So what do you do when you find yourself here?
Not everything in you needs to strive. Some things need to be surrendered.
Ask God: What in me are You restoring right now?
Stop trying to force visible growth and pay attention to what’s shifting beneath the surface
Stay consistent in small, faithful steps, even when nothing looks different yet
Trust that unseen work is still real work
Bottom line: When you find yourself in a season where nothing seems to be growing, don’t be too quick to call it failure.
God may be working in ways you can’t yet see.
Breaking up what has hardened.
Restoring what has been depleted.
Because He doesn’t just grow things. He prepares the ground they grow in so the growth can last.
And when He’s finished, what once felt impossible will begin to bloom. 🙌🏻
Veritas et Gratia,
Kristy 💐
P.S. This season of “waiting” and unseen growth is something I’ve been sitting with deeply. I recently wrote a chapter on it in an upcoming devotional, Hope in the Waiting. I’ll be sharing more soon—including an opportunity to join the launch team. I’d love for you to be part of it. 📖