There are seasons in life when God asks us to plant, and seasons when He asks us to uproot. Both feel holy. Both feel necessary. But only one feels comfortable.
Uprooting is never easy. It means pulling something out of the soil - something familiar, something once-useful, something that may have been good for a time - and releasing it. It means loosening your grip on what no longer serves your growth. It means trusting that God sees what you cannot yet see beneath the surface.
When I stepped into Sisters of Promise, it was a "do it afraid" moment for me. Kim once told the women of our church to step out afraid, and those words have stayed with me. I didn't feel ready. I didn't feel qualified. I didn't feel like I had anything special to offer. But I felt the nudge - that unmistakable tug of the Holy Spirit saying, This is your time to plant.
And planting required courage.
But before God invites us to plant something new, He often asks us to uproot something old. Sometimes it's fear. Sometimes it's the belief that someone else is more equipped, more capable, more called. Sometimes it's the quiet lie that whispers, You're not enough.
I had to uproot all of that.
Ecclesiastes 3:2b says there is a "time to plant and a time to harvest," and I've learned that these two seasons often sit side by side. You cannot plant new seeds in soil that's still crowded with old roots. You cannot grow fresh fruit in ground that's tangled with what used to be. You cannot step into a new calling while clinging to an old fear.
"Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant." ~Jeremiah 1:10
God uses Jeremiah to deliver the message of both planting and uprooting as He appoints. He is present in both. He is purposeful in both. And we are reminded in John that even pruning - even the cutting away - is an act of love meant to help us bear more fruit.
"He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more." ~John 15:2
Uprooting is not a punishment. It is preparation.
When I began Sisters of Promise, I felt like a gardener standing in a field I wasn't sure I belonged in. But God kept whispering, Plant here. And to plant here, I had to uproot the belief that ministry only happens in perfect places or perfect people. I had to uproot the fear of stepping out. I had to uproot the comfort of staying quiet.
And once the soil was cleared, God began to show me what He wanted to grow.
Sister, maybe you're in a season of uprooting. Maybe God is gently pulling something out of your life - a habit, a mindset, a fear, a relationship, a comfort zone - not to hurt you, but to make room for what He wants to plant next. Maybe He's preparing your soil for something new, something hopeful, something forward-moving.
Or maybe you're in a planting season. Maybe God is asking you to step out afraid, to sow something small, to trust that He will grow what you place in His hands. Maybe He's inviting you to begin something that feels fragile, uncertain, or bigger than you imagined.
Wherever you are, remember this: God is in the:
- uprooting
- planting
- courage it takes to do both
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