Planted, Not Buried

“Sometimes when you are in a dark place, you think you've been buried,

but you've actually been planted.” — Christine Caine

There are seasons when life feels unbearably heavy. Loss, change, or uncertainty can press down until it seems the light has disappeared. In those moments, it’s easy to believe the story that you’ve been buried—that you’ve been cut off, closed in, and left behind.

But what if the dark isn’t an ending at all? What if it is a beginning?

A seed cannot grow in the sunlight alone. To transform, it must first be covered, held in darkness, and given time. The soil presses around it not as a prison, but as protection. In that hidden space, something quiet yet powerful is happening—the seed is breaking open so that new life can emerge.

The same can be true for us. What looks like defeat can be preparation. What feels like loss can be planting. What seems like the end of your story may actually be the root system of something new beginning to grow.

Darkness does not mean despair. Sometimes it means destiny. You haven’t been buried—you’ve been planted. And in time, you will rise, reaching for the light, carrying new strength, new vision, and new purpose.

Journal Prompts

• Recall a time when you felt “buried.” Looking back, can you see ways you were actually being prepared or planted for something new?

• What areas of your life right now feel hidden or in the dark? How could you reframe them as places of potential growth?

• If you are being “planted,” what kind of new life, strength, or vision do you hope will rise from this season?