Boots on the Ground: What Root Work Taught Us About Growth

by SMG

Learning early that we tend the soil — but God commands the growth. (photo credit: Black and Wanderlust)

Growth is rarely instant. It is like a garden: a quiet, patient process where much of the work happens out of sight, beneath the surface. Seeds do not sprout overnight; roots dig deep into soil we cannot see. Healing, transformation, and strength are cultivated in the hidden places. As with any garden, the process demands observation, care, and trust in the timing of the One who tends the earth of our lives.

This season, the chapter is called: Root Work (tend what lies beneath). God is moving in ways we may not immediately recognize. We are tending our hearts, our relationships, and our purpose with intentionality, prayer, and faith.

Faith Lesson 1: Trust in the Unseen Work

Just as roots grow deep before leaves unfurl, God is shaping what is hidden in your life. Not every struggle or quiet season is visible, but each moment of obedience and reflection strengthens the foundation of your growth. Faith requires believing that what is beneath the surface matters as much as what is visible above.

Faith Lesson 2: Seasons of Patience Are Sacred

Gardens remind us that every season has a purpose. Dormancy, rain, storms, and sunshine all play their part. So too in life: there are seasons of waiting, seasons of pruning, and seasons of bloom. Trusting God’s timing allows your “roots” to develop resilience, even when progress seems invisible.

Some growth is slow and steady — the plantains remind us that patience nourishes the roots before anything blooms. (photo credit: Black and Wanderlust)

Transformational Practice: Tend Your Inner Garden

1. Identify one area of your life that needs quiet attention and nurturing — a habit, a relationship, or a personal goal.

2. Spend 10–15 minutes a day reflecting or journaling about it. Ask yourself: What needs nourishment? What needs pruning?

3. Pray for patience and guidance, envisioning your growth like deepening roots. Over time, the work you do under the surface will bear visible fruit.

Tending the Garden with Our Hands

There is something cathartic about getting your hands dirty and covered in soil. In our garden, we share intimacy with the Universe as we witness and document life in its most varied forms. The plants don’t need us to survive, but when we work in harmony with Mother Nature, we cowrite extended metaphors of what nurture can do — not just for the plants, but for us as humans.

A few months ago, one of our plants was on what seemed like its last leg. A critter invasion created an unfavorable environment and sucked life-sustaining nutrients from the leaves and the soil. Our strategy for restoration was simple: pray, regroup, transplant, fertilize, water, sun, patience, faith, love, and God. The process reminded us that growth requires both action and trust, tending both the roots we can see and the ones we cannot.

We keep planting, even when the evidence is still underground

As we tend our garden — hands in the soil, boots pressing into the earth — I find myself noticing how much of life unfolds the same way. Some things bloom quickly. Others take their time, rooting deeper before they ever rise. In the quiet work beneath the surface, strength is being formed. Perseverance is being practiced. Transformation is taking shape long before it becomes visible.

And so, we keep tending — with steady hands and hopeful hearts. We keep planting, even when the evidence is still underground. We trust what is taking root, believing that in due season the harvest will speak of faith, patience, and a love that never stopped nurturing.

We tend the soil — but God commands the growth.

Where are you being asked to keep planting, even when the evidence is still underground?

If this resonated with you, share your reflections in the comments or connect with us using #BlackandWanderlust so we can continue walking this journey together.

#bootsontheground #2026 #growthgoals #rootwork #patience #faith #trusttheprocess #Blackandwanderlust

©2026 A Zulu Brownz Ink

Black and Wanderlust

SMG is an educator, author, and artist who writes, photographs, and designs from a place of faith, curiosity, and wonder. She blends family, adventure, and intentional living into stories and lessons that inspire reflection, spark creativity, and invite readers to walk boldly in their own journey of growth.