Rooted

There's a season we the life of a long-living flower when, in order to bear the weight of its coming bloom, it must dig deep into the soil. Every part of the vine submerges itself. A complete surrender.

This time of year, we're often encouraged to make New Year's resolutions, each one pointing toward a "better" version of ourselves. Lately, I've been giving real thought to what can actually change me, not just temporarily, but deeply.

I will always speak boldly about my faith in this space. For me, it is inseparable from who I am, as a daughter of the Most High. Wait...don't run off just yet. This garden welcomes everyone. What I'm offering here is vulnerability, and with it, an invitation to pause, catch your breath, and maybe even plant your own roots alongside mine.

This past year gifted me something I don't take lightly: the victory of life. I say this with everything in me. God is a healer. I am a Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer survivor. After 12 years of chemotherapy - 146 cycles, in August I was diagnosed with no evidence of disease. I am standing on the edge of a new beginning.

And yet, for months, I kept asking, What next?

I walked this journey alongside some incredible people who didn't make it. So, I asked again, Lord...what now?

His answer was simple and steady: Be deeply rooted.

At first, I struggled with that. Do nothing? You can imagine me, ready to do something with this miracle, this hot-mess girl from Texas, eager to move forward. But then I thought about peonies. To bloom into something so beautiful and delicate, they rely on roots that are strong and deeply established. The roots matter.

Truthfully, 2025 felt lukewarm. I don't think I was fully "all in" on anything. Anxiety touched nearly every area of my life. Am I a good wife? Sister? Friend? I had to sit with those questions, and the honest answer, though hard to admit, was no. I hadn't healed from old wounds. Instead of facing my hurts. I shut down. I went quiet. I did nothing.

So in 2026, I choose something different.

I choose to be rooted.

To surrender every part of myself to Christ. To allow Him to cultivate the soil of my heart. To trust that He already has tomorrow figured out.

My only job is to bloom.

To soak in His Word.

To heal from what hurt me.

To release my soul and simply be.

My prayer for you in the coming year is the same: that you, too, would be rooted. That rest and restoration would cover every area of your life. That you would shine brightly right where you are planted. God can be trusted fully with every situation.

As He does His work, I pray peace and joy over you in 2026. In Jesus might name.

Bloom Here,

Sue's Daughter