- Speaker #0
Here time moves a little slower and many moments, conversations, and challenges are an invitation to grow. Life often teaches us in whispers and quiet lessons tucked into the soil of our everyday experiences. Sometimes we feel buried by uncertainty, waiting for the light to break through. But what if instead of being buried, we have a new perspective? As we step back into Promise Hill, Let's walk with Mira as she wrestles with questions that feel familiar to all of us. Questions about trust, patience, and unseen growth. What is waiting just beneath the surface? And who might hold the answers she seeks? Hello, I'm your host, Kimberlee Herman. Welcome to Promise Hill, Season 1, Chapter 2, Hidden Roots. Let's get started.
- Speaker #1
The morning was golden and still. but Mira's thoughts churned with the weight of yesterday's conversation. Just then, a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Mira opened it, pleasantly surprised to see Grandma Eden standing there, her blue shawl draped over her shoulders, eyes warm with quiet wisdom.
- Speaker #2
Hi there, Eden. What a nice surprise. Would you like some tea or coffee?
- Speaker #3
No, thank you, dear Mira. I want to show you something. Will you come with me?
- Speaker #1
There was something gentle but insistent in her voice. Mira hesitated only a moment before nodding. She was grateful for Eden's presence, even if she wasn't sure where they were going.
- Speaker #3
We are walking to my house, dear, so I can demonstrate something that I feel will be very helpful to you on your journey. Plus, I wanted your company again.
- Speaker #1
Eden shared as she smiled at Mira. The walk to Grandma Eden's home was peaceful. The early morning quiet broken only by birdsong and the distant hum of life stirring in Promise Hill. Eden said little, but her presence carried a quiet strength. When they reached her house, she led Mira through the back gate into her garden, a lush space overflowing with flowers and vegetables, each plant thriving under Eden's careful tending. The scent of jasmine drifted on the breeze.
- Speaker #2
Oh Eden, your garden is magnificent.
- Speaker #1
Mira noticed a small waterfall spilling into a koi pond, and gentle wind chimes each with their own song.
- Speaker #3
Thank you for noticing, Mira. I was inspired by Benjamin Bright.
- Speaker #2
Who is Benjamin Bright?
- Speaker #3
Oh, Mira, he is the one who discovered Pommis Hill all those years ago. Much to tell you before the Festival of Joy in a few months. His story is... for another time. I brought you here to remind you of something.
- Speaker #1
Mira raised an eyebrow.
- Speaker #2
That I'm a project in need of fixing?
- Speaker #1
Eden met her gaze calmly.
- Speaker #3
Oh no, dear, not at all. That you're like a seed in the ground.
- Speaker #1
Mira sighed while her shoulders dropped.
- Speaker #2
Right, buried, forgotten, slowly rotting in the dark.
- Speaker #1
Eden smiled faintly.
- Speaker #3
A seed is not buried. It is planted. And it doesn't rot. It breaks open before it grows.
- Speaker #1
Mira folded her arms tighter.
- Speaker #2
And what if I'm tired of breaking?
- Speaker #1
Eden's voice softened.
- Speaker #3
Then rest. But don't mistake this season for the end of your story.
- Speaker #1
Eden knelt, pressing her fingers into the damper.
- Speaker #3
A seed cannot see what it will become. It only knows the darkness of the soil, the weight pressing down on it. It waits, not knowing when the rain will come or when the sun will warm the ground enough for it to break through.
- Speaker #1
Mira swallowed. That weight, the heaviness of uncertainty, the ache of waiting, felt so familiar.
- Speaker #2
Yes, but I really do feel buried,
- Speaker #1
he admitted. Eden looked at her with kind but steady eyes.
- Speaker #3
Not buried, child. Planted. There is a difference.
- Speaker #1
She scooped up a handful of earth, letting the rich soil slip through her fingers.
- Speaker #3
You are not forgotten beneath the soil. You are being prepared, strengthened.
- Speaker #1
Mira furrowed her brow.
- Speaker #2
Prepared for what?
- Speaker #1
Eden smiled knowingly.
- Speaker #3
For what you were created to be. A seed doesn't fully understand what it will become. It only knows to keep growing. A mighty oak doesn't realize its branches will one day give shade. A wildflower doesn't know it will bring beauty to a weary traveler. But the creator knows.
- Speaker #1
Eden reached into her pocket and pulled out a small wooden box.
- Speaker #3
Here, Mira. I want you to have this.
- Speaker #1
Mira looked at it skeptically.
- Speaker #2
What is this supposed to do? Grow me into someone patient and graceful overnight?
- Speaker #1
Eden chuckled.
- Speaker #3
It's a reminder that the most important parts of you are forming where no one can see.
- Speaker #1
Mira stared at the tiny seed. Part of her wanted to believe it. Another part felt too bruised to care. Mira closed the box, her fingers brushing over the smooth wood.
- Speaker #2
What kind of seed is it, Eden?
- Speaker #1
Eden's eyes twinkled.
- Speaker #3
That, my dear, is for you to discover.
- Speaker #1
She gestured to the garden around them.
- Speaker #3
You may not see it yet, Mira, but the waiting is not wasted. Every moment in the soil, every struggle, every storm is shaping you, strengthening you. So when the time comes, when you break through, you will not just grow, you will flourish.
- Speaker #1
Mira exhaled, the weight of those words settling over her. Maybe she didn't need all the answers right now. Maybe she just needed to trust the process. Eden smiled knowingly.
- Speaker #3
Let me tell you a story.
- Speaker #1
She said, settling onto a beautiful garden bench with a bright red flowerpot filled with soil. Mira sat beside her, intrigued. Eden leaned back, brushing a stray leaf from her lap.
- Speaker #3
There's a legend about two saplings,
- Speaker #1
she began, her voice taking on a storyteller's rhythm.
- Speaker #3
Planted side by side, they were nearly identical at first. Small, eager, reaching for the sky. One grew quickly, reaching high for the sun. The other stayed low, almost still, its roots digging deep.
- Speaker #1
Mira frowned.
- Speaker #2
Let me guess. The overachiever snaps in a storm.
- Speaker #1
Eden smiled gently.
- Speaker #3
Yes, the proud and impatient one broke when the winds came, but the quiet one stood strong.
- Speaker #1
Mira was quiet for a moment.
- Speaker #3
Growth isn't just about reaching up, child. It's about digging deep, and sometimes the strongest growth happens where no one can see.
- Speaker #2
It's hard being the one who looks like nothing is happening.
- Speaker #3
Growth is rarely visible at first, but it does show, and boy people will notice. But the most important thing is that you notice Mira.
- Speaker #1
Mira swallowed hard. Maybe she wasn't buried after all. Maybe she was planted. Just then, the sound of footsteps on the garden path made them both turn. A man stood at the gate, his hand raised. as if he'd been about to knock. Hello, Eden, he called, his voice deep and steady. Eden's face lit up.
- Speaker #3
Oh, Nathaniel, come in, come in.
- Speaker #1
Mira turned to see a man with light ruffled hair, his blue friendly eyes carrying a quiet depth she couldn't quite place. He wore a leather apron dusted with sawdust, the scent of freshly cut wood clinging to him. He looked like someone who built things with care. someone who understood the weight of patience.
- Speaker #3
Mira,
- Speaker #1
Eden said warmly.
- Speaker #3
This is my dear friend Nathaniel Ember. He's a carpenter, the finest craftsman around.
- Speaker #1
Nathaniel's gaze flickered over Mira as he extended his hand.
- Speaker #0
Nice to meet you, Mira.
- Speaker #1
Mira shook his hand, a curious ease settling in her chest. There was something about him, something familiar. though she was certain they had never met.
- Speaker #0
I came to check on the bench I made for Eden. Eden,
- Speaker #1
how is it working for you?
- Speaker #3
Mira, Nathaniel carved this gorgeous bench for me.
- Speaker #1
Eden gestured to the bench they had just been sitting on.
- Speaker #2
Wow, you made this? It truly is a piece of art.
- Speaker #1
Mira stated in admiration as she gently glazed her fingers over the carved flowers on the bench.
- Speaker #0
Well, thank you, Mira. That is mighty kind of you to say,
- Speaker #1
Nathaniel replied with a big smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Just then, their conversation was interrupted by the sudden ringing of her phone. She glanced at the screen and excused herself. Walking away for privacy, she answered the call. A voice on the other end hesitated before speaking.
- Speaker #3
Mira, it's Rose. You need to come soon. Your mother's asking for you.
- Speaker #1
Mira swallowed hard, gripping the seed box tighter in her palm.
- Speaker #2
I don't understand,
- Speaker #1
she whispered.
- Speaker #2
She has not recognized me in over a year.
- Speaker #1
The pause on the other end stretched longer this time. Then, finally,
- Speaker #3
She said something else, Mira.
- Speaker #1
Mira's breath caught.
- Speaker #2
What did she say?
- Speaker #1
A hesitation. Then,
- Speaker #3
She said she remembers.
- Speaker #1
The line went silent. Mira's pulse thundered in her ears. What does she remember? And yet, deep down, she knew. Whatever was happening, this was just the beginning. Life has a way of leading us exactly where we need to be, even when we don't understand the path. For Mira, what felt like an ending may just be the beginning of something deeper, something unseen, waiting beneath the surface. In Promise Hill, lessons unfold in unexpected encounters and in the wisdom of those who have walked the road before us. The question is, will we have the strength to let growth take root? As one door opens, another mystery stirs. While Mira isn't ready to bloom, something is shifting beneath the surface. And that, dear listener, is where the real story begins. Take it away, Kimberly.
- Speaker #0
Growth is rarely seen in the moment. It happens in quiet places beneath the surface where roots stretch deep before the first signs of life ever break through. Mira left Eden's garden with more questions than answers. The tiny seed resting in the box was a mystery, much like the changes stirring within her. What was she supposed to do with it? Was she really planted, as Eden had said, or simply lost in the dark? But there was no time to dwell on those thoughts. Life had a way of interrupting the stillness, and today it arrived in the form of a phone call. i have four reflections for you and five live it out action steps reflection number one life's uncertainty mira felt stuck she had lost her job was unsure of her purpose and felt like she was waiting for something anything to give her direction it was in that moment of uncertainty that grandma eden invited her on a walk to her garden this is where grandma eden shared an important truth a seed in the ground doesn't know what it will become it only knows the darkness of the soil hear it and hold it psalm forty verse one i waited patiently for the lord he turned to me and heard my cry waiting feels uncomfortable but god sees us he hears our cries even in the quiet seasons when nothing seems to be happening reflection number two the difference between being buried and being planted mira admitted that she felt buried but grandma eden gently corrected her not buried child planted This perspective shift is crucial. When we find pressed down by life, it's easy to believe that we've been forgotten. But just like a seed, we are not buried to decay. We are planted to grow. Hear it and hold it. Psalm 91 verse 4. He will cover you with his feathers and underneath his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. you will not fear the terror of night nor the arrow that flies by day nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness nor the plague that destroys at midday changing perspective is essential understanding that god is for you and he is your refuge while mira does not know this grandma eden does eden is planting the seed of knowledge with faith reflection number three growing happens in the waiting eden reminded mirah that waiting is not wasted time it is when roots grow deep strengthening us for what is to come the question is will we trust god in the waiting will we believe that he is preparing us for something good hear it and hold it isaiah forty verse thirty one but those who hope in the lord will renew their strength they will soar on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary they will walk and not be faint our waiting season is where god renews and strengthens us reflection number four taking small steps of faith grandma eden hands mira a small seed and asks her to plant it as a reminder that even in the darkness something is growing The simple act required trust. Mira didn't know what would grow, but will plant it anyway. In the same way, we may not see the outcome, but we are called to take small steps of faith, trusting that God is at work. Let's hear it and hold it. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 7, For we walk by faith, not by sight. We don't need to see the full picture to trust that God is leading us. Let's live it out action steps. Number one, shift your perspective. Instead of asking, why is this happening to me? Ask, what is God growing in me today? Number two, take the next step. You don't need the full roadmap. Just take the step in front of you. Number three, look for signs of growth. Where have you seen progress, even in small ways? Write them down. Number four, spend time in scripture. Let's Let God's word remind you that waiting is not wasted. Number five, encourage someone else. Just like Grandma Eden helped Mira, who can you encourage in their waiting season? Before we end today's episode, I want to remind you, you are not buried. You are planted. Even in the waiting, God is working. Take heart because your season of growth is here. and as mira's story unfolds we see another turn just as she begins to find peace a phone call changes everything her mother who has not recognized her in a year suddenly asking for her what could this mean stay tuned as we continue mira's journey in the next episode but before we go i'd like to pray for you heavenly father i come before you today on behalf of those who feel lost Buried under the weight of uncertainty, waiting for clarity and searching for hope. Lord, you see them. You know their struggles, their silent prayers, their restless farts. Father, remind them that today they are not buried, but planted. In the darkness of their waiting, let them trust that you are working, nourishing them, strengthening their roots for the season ahead. When they feel forgotten, whisper to their hearts that you have never left them. When they grow weary, renew their strength. When doubt creeps in, fill them with faith that you are making all things new in your perfect time. Just as you grow flowers from tiny seeds and bring forth life from the soil, bring forth something beautiful in their lives. Help them to trust that even in the unknown, you have a plan. And when the time is right, Lord, let them break through the surface, stretching toward your light blooming in the purpose you created them for. We surrender our fears, our frustrations, and our waiting seasons to you. May we walk by faith even when we cannot see the way ahead. Thank you for being our refuge, our guide, and our ever-present hope. In Jesus' holy name, amen. Remember, friends, God is always planting something good in your life. Until next time, may you find peace in the presence and hope on the hilltop. This is Kimberlee Herman cheering you on from Promise Hill.
