Have you pulled up anchor and deliberately sailed away from God, or maybe you're just slowly drifting? Until one day, God's voice calls to you like the lighthouse will beckon to the nearby ships, alerting them to danger. God comes for us shining His light into the dark and dismal place that has us trapped. I made many mistakes in my life while being away from God, from the small barely noticeable ones, which seemed easy to fix, to the earth-shattering, knee-bending ones that I couldn't crawl out of without help. Today, I know that a strong relationship with God takes time and effort.

Faith isn't stagnant. Faith involves active participation. Like a seed develops its roots beneath the soil, our faith grows deeper as we take our time getting to know God intimately through His Word. The more we understand and see His faithfulness throughout the Bible, the more we will love Him. Then our faith strengthens and becomes rooted in Him. In being faithful to my relationship with God, I found myself anchored in place by deep roots, and every gardener knows deep, strong roots are hard to uproot.

These devotions were written to share my I-finally-get-it moments when God would teach me through my work, my relationships, and my daily activities. It didn't matter whether I was gardening, traveling, or cooking. God used these moments to open my eyes to certain truths He wanted me to know. On a roller coaster, where only death was expected, faith was finally understood. While chasing a storm with my mother, I understood a reason for trials. As I wrote, I prayed for the readers, and I longed that they, too, would draw and stay closer to Him, and I hope that you will be one of them.