As I talk to people every day, one thing has become crystal clear:
PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH IT.
Families are going through it.
Relationships are going through it.
Workplaces are going through it.
Our country is going through it.
The world is going through it.
Everywhere you turn, it feels like gloom and doom.
The attacks seem nonstop. Something is always under attack: our peace, our health, our finances, our relationships, our confidence, our beliefs. Shoot, even the FOOD feels like it’s under attack. We don’t know what to eat, what not to eat, what’s good for us today, or what’s supposedly going to kill us tomorrow.
It’s exhausting.
But the Bible puts something into perspective for me: our battle isn’t merely against what we can physically see. There is a spiritual component to this thing.
And let me just say this because somebody has to:
Some people aren’t connected to the Divine nearly as much as they think they are.
Whew. There. I said it.
Some folks can quote Scripture all day but will twist God’s Word into a pretzel trying to make it fit whatever they already decided they wanted to believe.
And listen, I’m a people watcher by nature.
I watch words.
I watch behaviors.
I watch patterns.
And one of the most interesting things I’ve noticed is that sometimes the SAME thing people claim everybody else is doing to them…they are doing to other people, but worse.
The lack of self-awareness is WILD.
And everything can’t be blamed on the devil either.
Sometimes we give the devil entirely too much credit.
“The devil is attacking me!”
Ummm…ma’am? Sir?
Respectfully…
The author of deception and lies may not need to bother you right now because you are doing a pretty impressive job of bothering yourself.
Sometimes it’s not an attack.
Sometimes it’s your choices.
Sometimes it’s your behavior.
Sometimes it’s the seed you planted.
Sometimes it’s your refusal to listen.
Sometimes God isn’t punishing you.
Life is simply giving you the harvest from something you planted.
And that’s exactly why, in this season, you need to learn how to…
BE THE TREE. 🌳
Picture a mature tree standing in the middle of a storm.
Wind whipping.
Rain pouring.
Branches moving.
Everything around it is chaotic.
But underneath the surface, where nobody can see…
ROOTS.
That’s what keeps the tree standing.
And I think some people have built their lives on fake turf with perceived roots.
Baby…
You cannot get grounded in plastic grass.
It might look good.
It might photograph well.
Everybody online might think you’re thriving.
But when the storm comes, presentation won’t hold you up.
ROOTS WILL.
And simply saying, “I believe in God,” isn’t the end of the work.
Your beliefs have to become roots.
Roots require depth.
Roots require discipline.
Roots require truth.
Roots require self-examination.
Roots require accountability.
Roots require you to occasionally say:
“Maybe it’s me.”
Ohhhhh, now we’re getting uncomfortable.
Some People Are Made of Eggshells
Around this time of year, many companies begin having year-end performance conversations.
As a leader, I’ve learned something about feedback:
The end of the year shouldn’t be the first time someone hears something you’ve been observing all year.
Feedback should be gradual.
It should be honest.
It should be timely.
It should give people an opportunity to adjust.
And honestly, that’s not just leadership.
That’s relationships.
Friendships.
Marriage.
Family.
Business.
Communication.
Tell people the truth while there is still time to do something with it.
But here’s the problem.
Some people are made of eggshells.
They crack at every suggestion.
Someone gives them constructive criticism, and instead of examining whether there is truth in it, they immediately become defensive.
Then somebody plants one little seed of adversity in their mind.
And instead of removing it, they fertilize it.
With emotion.
With imagination.
With assumptions.
Before long, that little seed has turned into a whole imaginary forest.
Meanwhile, Scripture teaches us to take our thoughts captive.
In practical terms?
Stop believing every thought that enters your head.
Put it on trial.
Ask:
Is this true?
Not, “Does this feel true?”
Not, “Did somebody agree with me?”
Not, “Can I find three people who don’t like the person either?”
IS. IT. TRUE?
Because your emotions deserve acknowledgment, but they don’t automatically deserve authority.
Stop Trying to Convince People Committed to Misunderstanding
Sometimes you have to stop explaining yourself.
Stop writing the paragraph.
Stop sending the follow-up text.
Stop presenting Exhibit A, B, C, D and E.
Stop trying to convince somebody who already decided what they wanted to believe.
Some people aren’t looking for understanding.
They’re looking for confirmation.
Let them.
And you go back to being the tree.
🌳 Trees Don’t Chase Storms
A tree knows how to rest.
A tree knows how to remain.
A tree knows how to stand.
So…
Be the tree.
Be the peace you need.
Be the rest you need.
Be grounded like a tree.
Grow steadily like a tree.
Stand strong through storms like a tree.
Reach toward the sky like a tree.
Adapt through seasons like a tree.
And BABY…
If somebody tries to chop you down?
Become something else valuable.
Turn the wood into a table.
A chair.
Paper.
Art.
A house.
Something useful.
Something profitable.
Because when your raw material is TOP TIER, being cut doesn’t eliminate your value. It just changes your form.
Read that again.
Some situations you thought destroyed you actually introduced you to another version of yourself.
You thought your story was over.
God said:
Nope. We’re just changing the product line. REBRANDING!
🌳 Sometimes the Tree Has to Stand Alone
This one is important.
Everybody wants a forest.
We want community.
We want belonging.
We want people around us.
And healthy community is beautiful.
But sometimes…
A tree needs space.
Space to stretch.
Space to deepen its roots.
Space to receive sunlight.
Space to grow in directions it couldn’t grow while fighting for space among everybody else’s branches.
Some people are so determined to remain part of the forest that they don’t realize the forest is limiting their growth.
And even worse, they’re surrounded by dying trees.
Be careful.
Because everything around you affects your environment.
Sometimes standing alone isn’t rejection.
Sometimes it’s ROOM.
Room to grow.
Room to think.
Room to heal.
Room to discover.
Room to become.
Don’t confuse separation with punishment.
Sometimes God cleared the space around you because you prayed for growth.
🌱 Before the Tree Was Visible, It Was a Seed
Here’s the part we forget.
Every giant tree started as something tiny.
A seed.
And what happens to the seed?
It gets buried.
In darkness.
It sits alone.
Under dirt.
Under pressure.
Nobody is applauding it.
Nobody sees what’s happening underneath the surface.
And for a period of time, it may look like absolutely nothing is happening.
But something IS happening.
The seed begins transforming.
Its previous state cannot remain intact if something new is going to emerge.
Then slowly…
It reaches.
It stretches.
It pushes.
Toward what?
THE LIGHT.
Until eventually…
🌱 BREAKTHROUGH.
Somebody reading this is in the dirt right now.
You feel buried.
Pressed.
Unseen.
Uncomfortable.
Maybe even alone.
But hear me:
Don’t confuse being planted with being buried.
What feels like pressure may be developing your roots.
What feels like darkness may be forcing you to search for light.
What feels like isolation may be creating room for transformation.
You are becoming something that the seed version of you couldn’t even comprehend.
So What’s the Bottom Line?
Life is going to life.
People are going to people.
Storms are going to storm.
Seasons are going to change.
Some people will misunderstand you.
Some will criticize you.
Some will leave.
Some will try to chop you down.
And some battles you’ll discover were never battles at all. They were mirrors asking you to take a good look at yourself.
Through ALL of it…
BE. THE. TREE. 🌳
Deep roots.
Strong trunk.
Flexible branches.
Always reaching toward the light.
And when the storm comes, don’t waste all your energy screaming at the wind.
Get deeper.
Because eventually, storms pass.
And when the skies clear?
You’ll still be standing.
Maybe with fewer leaves.
Maybe with a few broken branches.
Maybe looking a little different.
But STILL HERE.
And as long as you’re truly rooted, life can shake you…
but it can’t easily uproot you.
So if you’re going through your own dark, dirt, pressure-filled season right now, be encouraged.
You’re not finished.
You’re growing roots.
🌳 Be the tree.
Love y’all. ❤️
Joy Junkie!
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