Life Lessons from Growing Peonies in the Desert

Kayla Castleberry shares the life lessons she’s found in growing peonies in the desert.

Peonies are my favorite flower, but not for the reasons you might think. They are beautiful, with blooms whose scent can fill a room. To me, though, the blooms aren’t the most exciting part. It’s the little sprouts coming up from the ground each spring, indicating life coming from death. 

I’ve grown peonies for the past 9 years, both in the Texas panhandle, where my flowers would grow as big as my face, and in the West Texas desert, where the fact that my plant is still alive is a miracle. No matter the environment, peonies have to be cut back to the ground at the end of each season. The massive plant and its blooms disappear, leaving behind an empty patch of dirt. From the outside, the plant disappears. 

Caring For My Peonies

Throughout the winter, I continue to water and care for that empty patch of dirt, knowing that beneath the surface, something is alive. In the spring, tiny tendrils start to unfurl from the ground. What appeared dead comes alive overnight, growing quickly into a huge bush laden with flowers. 

My life often feels like that empty patch of dirt, as I wait through the winter seasons for God to bring life out of the darkness. Two and a half years ago, I was blindsided by a season of loss. Loss of my marriage and my ministry because of someone else’s choices. Loss of my hopes, dreams, and plans for my life. As time passes, my life has started to feel less empty, but many of my circumstances haven’t changed, leaving me wondering what the Lord is doing. My peonies and their sprouts are a gentle reminder each year that even when my external circumstances do not seem to change, God is working beneath the surface. 

Psalm 71:20

Psalm 71:20 (ESV) says, 

“You who have made me see many troubles and calamities

will revive me again; 

from the depths of the earth

you will bring me up again.” 

We may have experienced different troubles and calamities over our difficult seasons, but we all likely have faced hardship in some form. It may even feel as if the Lord has led us to those troubles, allowing us to experience the consequences of our own or another’s sin. When we are in the midst of these winter seasons, we may ask ourselves: if God brought us to this season, why would we trust Him to bring us out of it? 

Releasing It To God

We may not say it in those words, but we often live out this distrust in God by giving Him the silent treatment or by trying to revive our lives on our own. Instead, this verse reminds us it is the Lord who will bring us up again out of the depths of the earth, where we may have appeared empty and dead. 

Trusting the Lord in these difficult seasons hinges on reminding ourselves of His character and His plan. Our God is a God who sees us (Genesis 16:13), even when we feel our lives are empty.  His character is defined by mercy, grace, patience, love, and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6). By reminding ourselves of God’s character even when our circumstances feel insurmountable, we can release the need to control our circumstances. If we can trust in the Lord’s character, then we can trust that He will work even our hardest circumstances for good. 

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) states, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Christ came so that we “may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10, ESV). God’s plan for our lives is not one of devastation, death, and emptiness. He plans to bring us life, hope, and a future. But that future may look very different from what we dreamed. 

God’s Working

From the outside, my circumstances don’t look much different from two years ago, but the Lord has worked in beautiful, invisible ways in my soul. What I thought was the end of my life, my hope, and my ministry has opened the door to a much sweeter season. This season may look a little empty, but it is full of the Lord’s handiwork. Maybe this has been my winter season, where God is doing the work under the surface so that I can sprout again when spring arrives. Or maybe God is teaching me that the internal sprouting in my soul is the life, hope, and future He planned for me, rather than the external circumstances I am looking to change.

Our winter seasons don’t have to be empty or dark. They are a season where the Lord is working a miracle inside of us, even if we don’t see our external circumstances changing yet.

Meet Kayla

Kayla Castleberry is a registered dietitian who has worked with food-insecure populations for the past 10 years. She spends her free time gardening and coaching figure skating in the desert of West Texas. 

Connect With Her:

Instagram: @kayla.e.castleberry

Blog: https://substack.com/@redeemednotruined

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Hope in the Healing: A 40-Day Journey Through Chronic Illness

Hope in the Healing: A 40-Day Devotional Journey Through Chronic Illness

Find strength for today and hope for tomorrow with this compassionate 40-day devotional designed for those navigating the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of chronic illness. Hope in the Healing offers gentle encouragement, Scripture-based reflections, and space to connect with God—even on the hardest days.

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• Read. Think. Live. 365-Day NIV Devotional Bible Review (2026 Release)
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• Psalms for Every Season: Finding God When You Feel Afraid, Doubtful, or Alone