When Nothing Looks Alive Yet

Mar 18
3 min read

“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come.”— Song of Solomon 2:11–12

March in Wisconsin can feel like a cruel joke.

The calendar says spring, but the landscape still whispers winter.

The trees are bare. The ground is muddy and brown. The air still carries a bite. Nothing looks alive.

And yet… beneath the surface, everything is moving.

Roots are strengthening. Sap is rising. Seeds buried months ago are beginning to stir.

There is life we cannot see.

The Unseen Work of God

Nature reminds us of something we often forget in our spiritual lives:

Just because nothing looks alive doesn’t mean nothing is happening.

There have been seasons in my life that have felt like long, prolonged winters. Seasons where prayers seemed unanswered. Seasons where joy felt buried beneath layers of sorrow.

When Ryan went to heaven, it felt as though everything above ground in my heart went still. The vibrant colors of life faded. What once bloomed so freely suddenly felt stripped and bare.

Grief has a way of making everything look lifeless.

And yet… beneath the surface, God was not absent.

While I could not see it, He was deepening my roots. While I could not feel it, He was strengthening my faith. While I questioned, He was anchoring me in truths that suffering could not uproot.

Winter did not mean abandonment. It meant hidden work.

And if we’re honest, winter seasons can often make us wonder if God is doing anything at all. But I once heard a simple truth that has stayed with me:

“We do not love and serve a do-nothing God; we love and serve an always-doing-something God.”

Scripture reminds us that He never sleeps nor slumbers (Psalm 121:4). Even when everything feels still, He is actively working—weaving, shaping, refining—for our good and for His glory.

Roots Grow in Winter

In nature, roots often grow deepest during the cold months. While the branches appear lifeless, the root system is expanding, searching, anchoring.

The same is true spiritually.

There are seasons when God allows us to sit in what feels like silence or sorrow. Not to punish us. Not to distance Himself from us. But to anchor us more firmly in Him.

Winter exposes what we are truly rooted in.

Are we rooted in comfort? In control?In timelines? In the gifts He gives?

Or are we rooted in Christ Himself?

Sometimes God lovingly allows visible growth to fade so that our roots can reach deeper into Him — the Giver above every gift.

Heaven Measures What Is Underground

We are tempted to measure growth by what we can see:

Is my heart lighter yet? Is the pain less sharp? Is the joy restored?

But Scripture reminds us:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…”— Romans 8:28

Not some things. Not easy things. All things.

Even winters. Even grief. Even the seasons that feel endless.

What looks dormant may actually be preparation. What feels like delay may actually be deep formation. What feels like death may actually be shaping eternal hope.

Trusting the Gardener

If you’ve ever planted anything, you know you cannot rush the bloom.

You cannot dig up the seed daily to check if it’s growing. You cannot force warmth into frozen soil. You cannot skip winter and arrive at spring.

You trust the design of the seasons. You trust the One who created them.

God is the faithful Gardener of our souls.

And some of His most sacred work happens where no one else can see.