Cheating on a Book and Growing Roots
- Heidy B. Weaver
- Apr 18
- 2 min read
After reading the first few chapters of “What Happens When Women Walk in Faith,” by Lysa TerKeurst, I cheated on the book. And because of that, I almost quit reading it.
You see, I have the 2005 first edition of the book, and it had been gathering dust on a shelf for two decades before I decided to actually dig in.
The book’s premise made total sense: We all face obstacles, but we can reach our dreams if we step out and walk in faith with God (which is easier said than done). In fact, TerKeurst even shares a perfect example of how NOT walking with God can leave you wandering in the desert for 40 years like Abraham in the Old Testament.
Stubborn Abraham was trying to make his dreams come true through his own strength, schemes, and plans and lost sight of God’s ability to fulfill His promises. Instead of second-guessing God, TerKeurst suggests we use “desert” times of struggle to delve deeper into God’s Word—growing deep roots.
“Growing deep roots isn’t easy. Skimming the shallow dirt of the surface and growing outward is much easier, but roots that grow outward do not anchor the tree and sustain its growth for years,” TerKeurst eloquently writes. (I loved this quote so much that I made a YouTube video with it: https://youtube.com/shorts/qlFAEFA30kM?feature=share).
Of course, when pursuing dreams, growth can be painful and challenging, and many people start doubting themselves and want to give up. Don’t discount the struggles. Instead, find joy through them. “We must watch for His beautiful confirmations and divine appointments, for they will be there if we take heed to look for them,” writes TerKeurst, founder of the popular Proverbs 31 Ministries.
After reading about some of TerKeurst’s struggles, I started wondering how everything turned out. Since 20 years had passed, all I had to do was go online to get the tea on TerKeurst. But what I found out disappointed me so much that I almost quit reading.
No, she didn’t do anything that warranted such harsh judgement from me.
So, what was my problem? I wanted to read that all of her challenges resolved in perfect, incandescently happy endings. You know, the kind you see in really good movies. But life isn’t a movie, and TerKeurst has faced and tackled many more challenges in the past two decades—proof that we all have “desert” periods in our lives, and we all need Jesus to carry us through those treacherously hot, sandy times.
When we face stumbling blocks, TerKeurst admits that it is easy to condemn ourselves and think we will never measure up. Instead, she encourages readers to, “Look for joy. It is there.” Spend more time in God’s Word, listening to Him. Why? “Depending on God brings such joy as I would never know any other way," she says.
(P.S. There will be that perfect, incandescently happy ending in Heaven. Read about it in John 3:16.)
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