Faith, Legacy, and the Fruit of a Life Rooted in God

Guest Blog by Roxanne Arredondo

Gardening has always been more than the work of planting and harvesting. To me, it has become a sacred reminder that growth requires time, care, patience, and faith. In many ways, the garden mirrors our spiritual life. Seeds are planted in hope, roots stretch silently in hidden places, and fruit appears only after steady tending. So, it is with our walk with God. Growth is not always immediate or visible, yet through prayer, trust, and time spent in His presence, He brings forth beauty in its season.

Since I was a little girl, I have seen the fruits of my father’s labor. He was a man of many trades, but farming was one of his greatest gifts. He could make almost anything grow. My father worked acres of land throughout my childhood, and we always kept a garden at home. Because of his dedication, I did not have to run to the store for cucumbers, tomatoes, and other fresh vegetables. My summers were spent in the harvest alongside my father and family. We rose before sunrise to head to the ranch and returned home only after the sun had gone down. Those long days in the field taught me the meaning of labor, sacrifice, and provision. Looking back, I realize I was witnessing more than hard work—I was witnessing devotion, stewardship, and a quiet, enduring faith. Those days still remind me of the biblical truth that those who sow faithfully will, in due season, reap.

To this day, my mother, Olivia, still keeps a garden at her home in remembrance of my father. My father, Julio, passed away ten years ago, yet his memory and the seeds of wisdom he planted continue to flourish. What was once the labor of his hands has become part of our family’s legacy, a quiet testimony of love, memory, and devotion. Even more meaningful, my nephew Jaime has taken up this practice as well, not only to honor his grandfather, but even more to honor God. In this way, the garden has become more than a family tradition; it is a living expression of faith passed from one generation to the next.

One of the most meaningful things my father ever told me was that while he tended to his garden, he also prayed. The garden became a place of meditation, conversation, and communion with God. As he worked the soil, he was also cultivating his spirit. That image has never left me: hands in the earth, heart lifted toward heaven. It reminds me that time with God does not always have to look formal or polished. Sometimes it is found in the quiet rhythm of daily work, in stillness, in reflection, and in simple moments of faithfulness. By our fruits we shall be known, and the fruit of a life rooted in God will always reveal His goodness.

Gardening teaches us that growth cannot be rushed. It calls for care, attention, and trust in a process we do not fully control. Our spiritual life is much the same. We must make room for God, return to Him daily, and trust that even when nothing seems to be changing, He is still working beneath the surface. As I reflect on my father’s life, my mother’s remembrance, and the example now carried forward by the next generation, my heart is filled with gratitude.

I thank God for all fathers—both blood and spiritual—whose lives, prayers, labor, and example have helped honor the Great Commission of our faith. Their faithfulness leaves behind a harvest that reaches far beyond what the eye can see. As Galatians 5:22 reminds us, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” May our lives bear this kind of fruit as we remain deeply rooted in God. As we honor fathers this season, may we also reflect on our own walk with the Lord. How do we spend our time with Him? Do we make space for Him in our daily routines, quiet moments, labor, or rest? Just as a garden flourishes when it is tended, our souls flourish when we remain connected to the One who gives life. Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, natural and spiritual, whose faithfulness continues to plant seeds that will bless generations to come.

Overcoming your past

A good name is better than fine perfume... Ecclesiastes 7:1

A popular Fathers Day song tells of a father who left his baby boy with three gifts before he disappeared: an old guitar, an empty bottle of booze, and a girl's name, Sue. The boy grows up to be a bitter man who hunts his father down and gives him a near fatal beating.

Okay, not a Fathers Day song but it has a happy ending. The father confesses that the name was a way to make sure his son grew up tough.

Names are important and can determine your destiny. On the other hand, the Bible tells of one man who overcame a terrible name (1 Chronicles 4:9-10). Jabez' name means pain. His mother named him that, so he would never forget the pain he'd caused her.

Jabez could have become embittered but he did not let his past dictate his future. In the middle of a 600 name genealogy that fills the first 9 chapters of First Chronicles, it is noted that he “was more honorable than his brothers.”

In fact his prayer, recorded within this brief passage, ends with a plea “keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.”

For some, the word father brings up painful memories but, like Jabez, we can turn from our dysfunctional families to our Father in Heaven. “So then, you Gentiles are not foreigners or strangers any longer; you are now citizens together with God's people and members of the family of God (Ephesians 2:19 GNT)." 

Your past does not dictate your future.

Dads Are Important

Numerous studies reported by the National Fatherhood Initiative show that the absence of a father puts children at risk. More than 24 million children (34%) live absent their biological father. This not only a problem for the families affected but, also, for American society as these children are in crisis and single parent families are in need of assistance.

Here are a few facts about children from fatherless homes:
--5 times more likely to commit suicide
--32 times more likely to run away
--20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders
--14 times more likely to drop out of high school
--10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances
--75% of all teens in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes
--9 times more likely to end up in a state-operated institution
--20 times more likely to end up in prison.
--85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home.
--Children in father-absent homes are five times more likely to be poor.
-- 75% of children living in single-parent families will experience poverty before they turn 11 years old.
--Only 20% of children in two-parent families will be the same.
--A study on nearly 6,000 children found that children from single parent homes had more physical and mental health problems than children who lived with two married parents.
--85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes.
--63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
--Girls who grow up in home without fathers are more likely to become pregnant as teenagers.

This is an opportunity for the church to have an impact on society. God calls upon us to take up the slack.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress… James 1:27

Defend the poor and fatherless... Ps 82:3

Churches can address these problems through after school and summer programs, mentoring and teen mom groups. The root causes can be addressed through parenting support groups, marriage enrichment and divorce counseling.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead,
bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. -- Ephesians 6:4