Do you ever say things like, “Oh I’ve always wanted to try [whatever it is]!” You fill in the blank. Sometimes I catch myself thinking that and wonder why not just go for it?

Okay, so this one’s not some big risk, but I’ve always wanted to grow wheat grass. And I think even I can handle going in about six bucks for some potting soil (~$4.50) and by-the-pound wheat berries (~$1.30).

I was so excited because I’ve always heard that wheat grass grows really quickly… but I might have been jumping the gun a bit to be looking for sprouts within a few hours…

But by the next morning, there was still no proof of life, and I started to feel a bit disappointed…

By the end of the second day, I was starting to lose hope.

Had I been mistaken? Did I miss some vital step? I googled “how to grow wheat grass.” I even sat through a youtube video tutorial on it.

I considered my options… Did I mess up?? Should I panic?? Should I change my plan?? Should I wait just a bit longer…

But on the third day I noticed them.

THE ROOTS.

They were deep and they were strong and they were substantial.

And look! Little sprouts! I was so happy!!

Over this Easter weekend, the significance of the third day signs of life were not lost on me.

Jesus’s disciples saw Him hauled off before their eyes on the night of His betrayal. I wonder what they thought in those moments and hours that followed.

Then He was crucified.

Dead.

Maybe they asked themselves, “But he was supposed to be the king of kings and set up God’s kingdom on earth… How can he be dead?” Were we wrong? Should we panic? Should we give up? Should we change our plan?

…And sometimes I think we see things bleak or barren in our own lives, and we wonder Was I wrong? Should I panic? Should I give up? Should I change my plan?

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

Ephesians 3:16-18 speaks again to this hidden-from-clear-view reality:

I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

And when bleak moments come, I would invite you to look at the roots. Keep walking with Jesus, and hold on. Remember that oftentimes what cannot be readily seen–what is at work beneath the surface–is a more accurate gauge of God’s faithfulness.