A New Year reflection on rooted faith
The New Year has a way of making us feel like we should be starting over.
New goals.
New habits.
A new version of ourselves.
Even in faith spaces, there’s often an unspoken message that sounds something like this:
You should be further along by now.
But what if still growing isn’t a problem to fix?
What if it’s simply evidence that God is still at work?
Scripture never describes spiritual growth as fast or flashy.
It speaks in the language of roots.
Of abiding.
Of fruit that comes in season, not on demand.
Jesus didn’t frame growth as something we manufacture.
He framed it as something that flows from staying connected.
“Abide in Me,” He said.
Not improve yourself.
Not reinvent everything.
Just remain.
And yet, so many women feel discouraged because growth feels slow.
Bible study feels ordinary.
Change feels subtle.
Faith doesn’t always look dramatic.
But rooted things grow slowly — and steadily.
Still growing doesn’t mean stalled — it means God is continuing His work in us.
The women who grow the most aren’t always the loudest or the most visible.
They’re the ones who keep returning.
To Scripture.
To prayer.
To obedience — even when it feels ordinary.
Not to earn God’s favor — but because they’re already held by it.
Philippians 1:6 reminds us that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”
Not restart it.
Not rush it.
Carry it on.
So as this new year begins, maybe the invitation isn’t to become someone new.
Maybe it’s to stay close.
To keep showing up.
To trust that the work God is doing — even if it feels slow — is exactly what’s needed.
Still growing isn’t a problem.
It’s a promise that He’s not finished yet.
