Square cover: bird-of-paradise plant with green leaves above dry stems at the soil

Check the Roots Before You Trust the Fruit

September 21, 2026•2 min read

The top can still look green while the roots are already drying out.

On my morning walk, I passed what looked like a bird-of-paradise plant. A month or so ago, it caught my attention because beautiful jade-green beetles were all around it. It looked alive. It looked like something worth stopping to notice.

But when I walked past it again, I looked closer. The lower part of the plant had dried up. Near the soil, the stems looked brittle. The top was still green enough to make you think everything was fine.

That made me think about money.

Sometimes the parts people can see still look healthy. Bills are being paid. You are still going out. You are still spending the way you used to. From the outside, nothing looks different.

But the root system may be drying up.

Maybe credit cards are holding up a lifestyle that your current income is no longer nourishing. Maybe you are borrowing to keep things looking normal. Maybe you have not checked what is actually coming in, what is actually going out, or what is quietly draining the soil.

The fruit matters. Scripture tells us that a tree is known by its fruit. But fruit takes time to grow, and a healthy tree needs a healthy root system long before anybody notices what is happening at the top.

When you are building new money habits, keep watering the soil. Do not stop because you made one good choice last week and nothing looks different yet. Give the habit time. Keep looking at what is feeding your money life. Keep checking whether the source is healthy.

And if it is not, address it while the problem is still at the roots.

A small step for today

Look beneath the surface. Write down what came in this month, what must go out before the month ends, and where you may be using credit to make things appear steady. This is not a report card. It is an honest look at the soil.

Prayer

God, help me look honestly at what is nourishing my life and what is only helping me keep up an appearance. Give me the courage to inspect the roots, the patience to keep building healthy habits, and the wisdom to address what needs attention. Amen.

“Every good tree bears good fruit.” Matthew 7:17