Good Morning Sunshine! Are You Surface Level or Deep Rooted?

We are going into a 2-Week Devotional Series on: Are You Surface Level or Deep Rooted?

Ephesians 3:17 (KJV) ~ That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love…”

First things first, I must share my encounter that I had, The Wind, and The Wisdom of Trees; and I’m not sure if I have done a devotional on this before, but this is definitely pulling at my heart now. As I’ve been home sick for almost two weeks, I’ve had plenty of reflection time. And in that stillness, God began to speak, not loudly, but clearly and intentionally, like a whisper that carried weight and direction.

So, on day nine of twelve I decided to take a ride with my husband. I was riding with my husband, I could hear the wind speaking, crisp, intentional, almost as if it carried a message from Heaven itself. The air felt alive, and the sky stretched wide like a canvas of God’s Glory. Creation itself seemed to testify, and at that moment, I knew this was more than a natural experience, it was a divine encounter.

Then I saw it. Now in full disclosure, we have driven this route many times before and never did I hear creation speaking out like it did that day. There it was, one big tree, standing in the middle of green grass, full, covered, massive in stature and width. It looked stable, anchored, and deeply established. As we continued driving, no music playing, just the wind making a melody that has never been penned to paper, hummed or sung… stood another tree, but this one was bare, standing in an open field with no covering. It was upright, but it lacked evidence of life, except for the brightness of the sun and the blue sky, and then when I say the next tree, I asked God what are you trying to say to me. There it was lying on the ground, completely uprooted. The dirt clung to its roots, and a hole remained where it once stood. It was no longer connected to its source, and what once lived and stood tall now lay exposed and displaced.

Now by this time we had arrived at our destination, but I asked him could we go back the same way because I wanted to take a picture of those trees, especially the one that had been uprooted. I asked him this question, and this is what I want you to ponder on over the next couple of weeks as you take this journey with me. I asked my husband, “Do you think it fell over time, or did something hit it with enough force to knock it down?” But even as I asked, I felt the Spirit of the Lord ask me something deeper. What keeps you planted… or what has the power to uproot you?

So, I was speaking to my friend Dr. Tracy White about this encounter, she began to share what God had spoken to her about trees, and in that moment, it confirmed everything I had just experienced. God is so specific and intentional. He will get His Word to you by any means necessary. She shared her research with me and I am sharing it with you. She explained that when wind blows on tree branches, the tree sways. Its branches bend and flex, and through this movement, the wood fibers are strengthened in a process called thigmomorphogenesis (now I cannot pronounce this word, so I hope you can).

What appears to be pressure is actually producing strength. Light wind encourages structural growth and deeper root anchoring. It teaches the tree how to hold on, how to stabilize, and how to develop beneath the surface. But strong winds? They reveal what is not strong enough. They can cause branches to break, trunks to snap, and even uproot a tree completely. She went further and explained how trees adapt to wind. (Ask yourself this question, how do you adapt?) Trees, especially those in open areas, develop what is called a “wind-firm” shape. They grow with a wider base, stronger trunks, and more flexible branches that can bend without breaking. They don’t resist the wind, they adapt to it.

And what struck me even deeper was this truth, without wind, trees actually become weaker. They grow tall but underdeveloped. Their roots do not go deep, their trunks remain fragile, and over time, they can collapse under their own weight because they were never strengthened by resistance. Wind stress causes trees to produce what is known as reaction wood, or stress wood, making them stronger and more flexible. But without that stress, without that movement, without that pressure, the tree lacks the development it needs to stand. So, let’s begin day one!

Good Morning Sunshine! You Are Not Surface Level; You Are Becoming Deeply Rooted!

Psalm 1:3 (KJV) ~ “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season… and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

This scripture is not just describing a tree, it is describing a life that has chosen its source. To be “planted” means you are intentionally positioned, not randomly placed. A tree by the water does not chase resources; it draws from what is already available. Its fruit is not forced; it flows from connection. This is the difference between striving and being sustained. When you are deeply rooted in God, your life becomes a reflection of what you are connected to, not just what you are trying to produce.

I cannot forget what I saw, what I heard, or what I felt when the wind began to speak. As I reflect on that moment, riding, watching, listening, I can remember how the trees stood as silent messengers. One was full and flourishing, one was bare yet standing, and one had been completely uprooted. I realized that picture was not just natural, it was spiritual, and now it is confronting me with a question that I cannot ignore.

Now it’s in these moments that you begin to realize that just like those trees, you can be in different conditions without even noticing it. You can be full and grounded, you can be standing but lacking, or you can be at risk of being uprooted without warning. And the wind that moved across those trees was not just passing through; it was revealing what was strong and what was not. You see, you can be in the right place and still not be deeply planted. You can show up to what looks like fertile ground, surround yourself with the right people, and even engage in spiritual activity, yet you still remain disconnected beneath the surface. Being present is not the same as being rooted, and God is calling you beyond surface presence into deep connection. I am just going to repeat this for your benefit, “being present is not the same as being rooted, and God is calling you beyond surface presence into deep connection.”

Now is the moment for you to ask yourself an honest question, this is not based on what others see but based on what you know in your quiet moments with God, are you truly rooted in God, or are you simply responding to Him when it is convenient? Surface-level living allows you to engage when it feels good, but deep-rooted living requires you to remain when it feels uncomfortable, uncertain, and even silent. Read this again! Are you surface-level living or deep-rooted living? As there are moments when you feel God strongly, when worship is rich, when the Word feels alive, and when everything within you responds with ease. But what happens when those moments fade? What happens when the feeling is not there, when the clarity is not immediate, and when the response requires discipline instead of emotion? That is where your roots are revealed.

You can build a life that looks spiritually full while still being internally shallow. (As I am writing this, I saw an chocolate easter bunny rabbit candy, you know the one that looks so good, but it is hollow, nothing inside and you must be fragile with it, because one wrong move and it will crumble to pieces in your hand. ) You can learn the language of faith, adopt the posture of worship, and even carry the appearance of growth, but if your roots have not stretched deep into God, the first real pressure will expose what has not been developed. You remember that moment of seeing the uprooted tree, (see the picture at the end of this devotion.) the dirt still clinging to its roots, the empty space left behind where it once stood. That image lingers because it forces you to consider something deeper; was it a sudden force, or was it weakened over time? And in the same way, you must consider your own life.

You have likely experienced seasons where everything seemed stable on the outside, where your routine was intact, your responsibilities were met, and your faith appeared consistent. But then something shifted a situation arose, pressure increased, or an unexpected moment tested you, and suddenly you could feel the instability beneath you. That moment was not failure; it was revelation. You begin to realize in those moments that you may have been drawing from places that could not sustain you. You may have leaned on routine instead of relationship, familiarity instead of intimacy, and moments instead of lifestyle. And while those things can support you temporarily, they cannot anchor you permanently.

Surface-level faith will keep you functioning, but it will not keep you firm. It allows you to move through life without completely collapsing, but it does not give you the strength to stand unshaken when the winds begin to blow. It gives you enough to survive the moment, but not enough to remain when the moment lingers. But God is not calling you to a life of survival, He is calling you to a life of sustainability. He is calling you to be so deeply rooted in Him that what happens around you does not determine what happens within you. He is inviting you into a depth where your stability is not dependent on circumstances, but on connection.

Just like the wisdom that Dr. Tracy shared with you, the wind is not just something you endure, it is something that develops you. The bending, the stretching, the pressure, it is all working to strengthen your roots if you remain planted. But if your roots are shallow, the same wind that was meant to build you will also break you. Depth is not something that happens instantly. It is cultivated over time through your daily decisions to remain in God. It is built in the moments when you choose to pray when you don’t feel like it, to trust when you don’t understand, and to stay when it would be easier to disconnect. Every decision to remain is a root going deeper. So today, you are being invited to examine your foundation, not with condemnation, but with honesty. You are being called to look beneath the surface and ask yourself what is truly sustaining you. Are you rooted in God, or are you rooted in things that can shift, fail, or fade? And as you sit with that question, let this one settle even deeper within you, just as it did in that moment when the wind spoke and the trees testified to me, if God came today… are you truly ready to meet Him?

Let’s Pray:

Father, in the Name of Jesus, I come before You with a heart that is open, yielded, and ready to be transformed by Your truth. I acknowledge that there have been places in my life where I have settled for surface-level connection, where I have shown up but have not truly been planted, where I have responded to You in moments but have not remained with You in consistency. Father, today, I invite You into those places, not hiding, not pretending, but fully surrendering, asking You to meet me with Your grace, Your correction, and Your restoring power. Lord, search me deeply and thoroughly. Go beyond what I am aware of and reveal what lies beneath the surface of my heart. Expose every shallow place, every weak foundation, every hidden root that is not anchored in You. Show me where I have depended on people, on routine, on emotions, or on my own understanding instead of fully relying on You. And as You reveal it, give me the strength not to resist the process, but to embrace the transformation that comes with truth. Father, I remember the sound of the wind and the image of the trees, and I ask that You seal that revelation within me. Let it not fade as a moment but let it remain as a marker of change. Let it remind me that what I go through is not just happening to me, but it is developing something within me. Teach me to see the wind differently, not as something to fear, but as something You are using to strengthen, stretch, and establish me. Lord, I surrender every false source that I have leaned on for stability. I release the need to be sustained by what is temporary, and I choose to be anchored in what is eternal. I let go of surface-level habits that have kept me from going deeper, and I ask You to draw me into a place of true intimacy with You. Father, I choose my relationship You over my routine, depth over display, and connection over convenience. Teach me, Father, how to be planted. Teach me how to remain when it would be easier to walk away. Teach me how to stay consistent when I do not feel anything, when I do not see immediate results, and when I do not understand what You are doing. Strengthen my discipline in prayer, increase my hunger for Your Word, and align my heart with a desire to seek You daily, not occasionally. Holy Spirit, develop my roots in the hidden places. Go into the areas of my life that no one else can see and begin to build strength there. Let my unseen time with You become the very thing that sustains me when I am seen. Let my foundation be so strong that when life begins to shake, I do not lose my footing, because I am deeply anchored in You. Father, I lift up every person connected to me, my family, my friends, those I lead, and those who are walking this journey as well. Strengthen their roots, Lord. Where they have become weary, renew them. Where they feel unstable, anchor them. Where they have been living on the surface, draw them deeper into Your Presence. Let this be a season where we are all established in You like never before. Lord, when pressure comes, and I know that it will, give me the grace to endure it with strength and wisdom. Father, teach me how to bend without breaking, how to move without losing my grounding, and how to remain steady even when everything around me feels uncertain. Let every trial produce endurance and let every moment of stretching deepen my roots in You. God anchor me so deeply in You that nothing external has the power to uproot me. Not disappointment, not offense, not fear, not rejection, not delay, and not uncertainty. I declare that my life is not sustained by what I see, but by who You are. You are my source, my strength, and my foundation, and I choose to remain planted in You. Father, make me like the tree planted by the rivers of water. Let my life produce fruit in every season, not because of striving, but because of connection. Let my growth be steady, my foundation be firm, and my life be a reflection of Your Presence working within me. Let those who encounter me see evidence of a life that is deeply rooted in You. Father, I surrender my timing, my expectations, and my need for control, and I trust You completely. I choose to believe that every season, every stretch, and every moment is working together to establish me in purpose. I release my desire to grow quickly, and I embrace the process of growing deeply. And Father, if You were to come today, I want to be ready, not just outwardly, but inwardly. Let there be nothing in me that is disconnected from You. Let my life reflect a true, authentic, and consistent relationship with You, rooted, grounded, and secure in Your love. So today, I declare over my life and over those connected to me that we are not shallow, we are not easily shaken, and we are not easily uprooted, but we are deeply rooted, firmly planted, and continually growing in You, and we will remain, no matter what comes. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Nugget ~ The same wind that reveals weakness can also build strength, what determines the outcome is how deep your roots go. The wind is not just blowing, it is building. What bends you is strengthening you and what stretches you is rooting you, because what is deeply rooted will not be easily uprooted!

See pictures of the three trees below, and get them into your mind.

Blessings…

Love, Dr. Jean…

Tree One