The Beauty of the Gnarled Tree

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Why Struggle is Essential for Deep Strength

By Tricia Goyer

On July 20, 2024, the roots of my life were shaken. My stepdad—the man who raised me, shaped me, and loved me—passed away. I had the profound privilege of being by his side at the VA Hospital in San Francisco during his final days, holding his hand as he stepped into eternity.

When it was time to leave, I was exhausted. My heart was tender, and I was ready to fly back home to Arkansas to find comfort in my own bed and my own family. I was ready for the “hard part” to be over.

But then, the unexpected happened. A massive computer outage grounded flights across the globe. Everything stopped. I was stranded in San Francisco, unable to leave the city where I had just said my final goodbye.

Because I couldn’t fly, I walked. The VA Hospital where my dad passed away sits right near Ocean Beach, on the edge of the continent where the land meets the fierce Pacific. As I walked along that coastline, with the wind whipping my face and the fog rolling in, I looked at the trees clinging to the cliffs.

They weren’t perfectly symmetrical, manicured trees as you might find in a suburban front yard. They were twisted. They were gnarled. Their bark was weathered, and their limbs were bent almost horizontal from the relentless onshore winds. They stood on precarious edges against threatening skies.

Yet, they were profoundly beautiful. They were magnificent because they were survivors. And as I walked, God whispered this to my heart: Strength isn’t deep without the struggle.

Standing there overlooking the San Francisco Bay, I realized those trees didn’t grow deep roots because life was easy. They grew deep because they had to. They grew strong because fierce winds tried to tear them down, forcing them to anchor themselves tightly to the rock just to survive.

The Danger of Shallow Soil

In our modern Christian life, we often pray for strength, but we despise the very process that produces it. We want the deep roots of faith without the whipping winds of adversity. We want to be unshakeable, but we resent the shaking.

If those Cypress trees at Ocean Beach had been planted in a lovely, sheltered meadow with soft soil and constant sunshine, they might have grown taller and straighter. But their roots would be shallow. The first major storm off the Pacific would have toppled them effortlessly.

Jesus warned us about the danger of shallow roots in the Parable of the Sower. He spoke of seeds falling on rocky ground where they sprang up quickly but withered just as fast under the hot sun “since they had no root” (Matthew 13:6).

God is not interested in growing “hothouse Christians” who look pretty but cannot survive real life—or real grief. He is interested in growing mighty oaks (and windswept cypresses) of righteousness that can withstand the storms of a fallen world. And the only way to get those deep roots is through the struggle to find water when the ground is hard.

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit," Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV).

The Shaping Power of the Wind

Why were those trees gnarled? Because the wind shaped them. Every twist in their trunk was a record of a time they refused to break.

We often view our trials as interruptions to our lives. God views them as the shapers of our character. My father’s death and the subsequent delay were winds that bent me, but they were also shaping me.

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope," Romans 5:3-4 (NIV).

If you want deep character—the kind that offers shade and strength to others—you cannot avoid the perseverance that comes through suffering.

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast," 1 Peter 5:10 (NIV).

Notice the progression: after you have suffered, He makes you strong, firm, and steadfast. The struggle is the prerequisite for stability.

Anchored to the Rock

The trees I saw on the coast were practically growing out of solid rock. They had wrapped themselves around the stone for stability.

When my flight was cancelled, and I was forced to pause in my grief, I felt untethered. When our lives are easy, we anchor ourselves to flimsy things: our schedules, our control, our health, or our comfort. But when the struggle comes—when death happens, when flights cancel, when plans fail—those things shift like sand.

The struggle forces us to find the only anchor that doesn’t move: Jesus Christ.

"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock," Matthew 7:24-25 (NIV).

My delay in San Francisco was an invitation to anchor myself to the Rock before rushing back to my routine.

Wisdom from the Deep-Rooted

Christians who’ve gone before us often faced winds far fiercer than a cancelled flight. They understood that strength is forged in fire.

Amy Carmichael, who served in India for 55 years, knew that an easy life produced a fragile faith.

Hudson Taylor, a pioneer missionary to China, faced immense personal loss and overwhelming odds. He learned to let the pressure push him deeper into God.

If you are in a struggle right now—whether it’s grief, a “cancelled flight” in your plans, or a season of waiting—don’t resent it. Let it press you nearer to His heart. Let it send your roots deeper. You are becoming a gnarled, beautiful, unbreakable tree of the Lord.

5 Takeaways to Remember

1. Comfort Creates Fragility: An easy life with no resistance produces shallow spiritual roots that fail when tested.
2. Struggle Drives Us Deeper: Hardship forces us to look past surface-level solutions and dig deep into the reality of God for survival.
3. The Gnarled is Beautiful: Your spiritual scars and the “twists” in your life story are evidence of survival and God’s sustaining grace; they are beautiful, not shameful.
4. The Rock is Essential: When the soil of life turns rocky, we must anchor ourselves to the only solid foundation: the Word of God (Matt 7:24).
5. Character Requires Resistance: Just as muscles need resistance to grow, your spiritual character requires the trials that build perseverance and hope (Romans 5:3-4).

A Prayer for Deep Roots

Lord God, Our Rock and Refuge,

I confess that I do not like the struggle. I prefer comfort, ease, and sunny days. When the winds blow—whether through loss, delay, or disappointment—my first instinct is to panic. But Lord, I want deep strength. I don’t want to be a shallow Christian who topples in the first storm. I pray that You would use my current struggles to deepen my roots in You. Help me to anchor myself to Your unshakeable Word. Shape my character through the winds of adversity, and make me strong, firm, and steadfast for Your glory.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Look at the tree in the graphic. Do you identify more with its strength and survival, or with the turbulent sky surrounding it right now?
2. Can you look back at a “cancelled flight” or unexpected delay in your own life that actually forced you to slow down and deepen your roots?
3. Read Jeremiah 17:7-8. When the “heat comes” in your life (stress, pressure, fear), what is your usual reaction? What would it look like to “not fear” because your roots are by the stream?
4. What are some “surface-level anchors” you tend to rely on when life is easy, which fail you when life gets hard?
5. Hudson Taylor spoke of pressure pressing us “nearer His heart.” How can you ensure your current struggles push you toward God rather than making you bitter toward Him?

Moving from “Knowing” to “Living”

We talk so much about the importance of story—understanding where we come from and where we are going. But when it comes to God’s Word, the most important part of the story is how it changes us right now, today.

I’ve found that there is often a big gap between knowing what Scripture says and actually living it out in our daily chaos—whether that’s in our parenting, our marriages, or our work.

That is why I love the Life Application Study Bible.

Unlike traditional study Bibles that focus heavily on history or geography (which are great!), this Bible is specifically designed for heart transformation. It doesn’t just fill your head with facts; it connects the dots to your daily life.

How it works:

The magic is in the notes. There are over 10,000 of them, and they take you on a 3-step journey:

1. Look Back: Understanding the verse in its original context.
2. Bridge the Gap: Seeing what it means for us today.
3. Take Action: Practical ways to apply that truth right now.

For the Whole Family

Since we are all about creating a culture of faith in our homes, I love that there is an edition for every age. From the Boys and Girls editions that help preteens ask “Is this okay?” to the Student and Teen editions that tackle real-life issues, and even a Chronological edition for those who (like me!) love to see history unfold in order.

If you are looking to “Focus Forward” this year—not just in reading words, but in letting those words rewrite your life—I highly recommend picking this up.

Grab your copy here!