Rooted in the Unseen: A Reflection on Perseverance, Faith, and the Creator's Eternal Promise.

Rooted in the Unseen: A Reflection on Perseverance, Faith, and the Creator's Eternal Promise .

By Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar.

Life is often like a brutal boxing match, where each blow lands with a force that tests the limits of our endurance. The world can be a relentless opponent, its strikes precise and unforgiving, leaving us gasping for breath, struggling to remain on our feet. I’ve spent much of my life in this ring, feeling like I was living in the basement of society, where the light barely penetrates and hope seems distant. It felt like the world was closing in, and I was just another body to be chewed up and spit out by the predators and vultures that hover, waiting for a moment of weakness.

Yet, in the darkest corners of this metaphorical basement, there was something deep inside me that refused to die. Despite the countless bruises on my spirit, the cuts across my heart, and the weight of the world pressing down on my chest, I never gave up hope. I never lost faith in the Creator, whose hands I believed would lift me up and place me gently into the bosom of the universe.

The world around us often whispers, even shouts, that we should surrender when the going gets tough. It tries to convince us that we are alone, that no one is coming to our rescue, and that the only sensible thing to do is to bow out gracefully—or not so gracefully—before we’re broken beyond repair. It is in these moments, when we’re on the ropes, teetering on the brink of defeat, that the voice of the world becomes almost deafening. "Give up," it says. "This doesn’t make sense," it argues. "You can do something easier, something less painful, something less sacrificial." These voices are like the swarming vultures, circling above, waiting for us to quit so they can swoop in and feast on the remains of our dreams, our hope, our faith.

But I didn't listen. And I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t either.

Because I know something profound. I don't just believe it—I know it deep in the marrow of my bones: The Creator is with me, and the Creator is with you, regardless of what is happening or not happening in your life right now. This knowledge is not something that came to me overnight. It took years—years of struggling, of fighting against the tide, of standing firm even when it seemed like the entire universe was conspiring to knock me down. It took countless prayers, endless moments of meditation, and a steadfast faith in the unseen.

I’ve battled frustration, anxiety, stress, and depression. I've taken some of the toughest jabs life has to offer—some that put me flat on the floor, some that closed my eyes, busted my mouth, broke my nose, left my ribs sore and aching. I've been in the ring losing so badly that from afar, people shook their heads and told me to bow down, to quit, to throw in the towel. They said things like, "If I were you, I’d do something different. You can’t keep living like this. There are easier paths, better options." But I didn’t listen, because I knew something they didn’t. I knew that my Creator was with me, and that I was exactly where I needed to be.

You see, the world measures success by what it can see, by what is tangible and immediate. But the Creator operates in a different realm, one where time as we understand it doesn’t exist, where the unseen is more real than what is visible, and where patience and faith are the true currency of progress.

Still, I prayed. Still, I meditated. Still, I believed in the guidance of the Creator. Still, I had faith in the impossible, in miracles, in the power of the unseen. My soul, deeply rooted in the fertile soil of the Creator, stood still and unwavering, even as nations rose and fell, as the world around me shifted and changed. My physical body, fragile and finite, may one day be no more, but the essence of who I am—rooted in the divine, nourished by the eternal—will remain.

This is my testimony to you: Never give up on yourself. Never give up on the Creator. Never throw in the towel on the blessings that are seen or unseen. Never take for granted the things that your Creator has placed in your life and care. I know how it feels to wait and wait, and to see no rain cloud in sight. I know the frustration that can lead us to turn around and search for pathways that might lead us to the rain we so desperately need. But I say to you, stay still. Stay rooted. The Creator will send the clouds to you, and they will be sufficient and designed just for you—tailor-fit to your needs, your journey, your growth.

So stop worrying. Stop panicking. Stop complaining. Stop all the negativity that clutters your mind and clouds your vision. Open your heart. The world will tell you that you are losing, that it’s time to give up, that nothing will ever change. But I am here to tell you that this is a lie. The Creator’s timeline is not ours. What we perceive as delay, as setback, as defeat, is often the necessary preparation for something far greater than we can imagine.

Imagine a tree, its roots buried deep in the soil, holding firm even as storms rage and winds howl. The tree doesn’t see the sun for days, maybe weeks, but it doesn’t uproot itself and go searching for light. It stays put, knowing that the storm will pass, that the sun will eventually break through the clouds, and that its leaves will once again reach up towards the heavens. The tree trusts the process, trusts that its roots are where they need to be, trusts that the soil that nourishes it will provide all that it needs.

You, too, are that tree. And your roots are planted in the fertile soil of the Creator’s love, grace, and mercy. The storms of life may batter you, may bend you, may strip you of your leaves and leave you exposed to the harsh elements, but you will not be broken. You will stand tall again. You will reach towards the heavens again. You will be restored.

The world will try to convince you that you are losing, that you are alone, that you are forgotten. But remember this: You are not of this world. You are of the Creator, and the Creator does not abandon His own. You are a part of something far greater, something eternal, something that cannot be seen with the eyes but is felt deeply within the soul.

So I say to you, with every fiber of my being: Do not give up. Do not accept defeat. Do not allow the world to convince you that you are anything less than a beloved child of the Creator, destined for greatness, destined for victory. The world may throw everything it has at you, may try to break you, may try to bury you under the weight of its expectations, its judgments, its criticisms. But you are not of this world. You are rooted in something far deeper, far stronger, far more enduring.

Have faith. Have patience. Even if you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if the road ahead seems endless and the journey unbearably long, know that you are exactly where you need to be. The Creator is with you, guiding you, sustaining you, preparing you for something greater than you can imagine.

And when the time is right, when the storms have passed and the clouds have cleared, you will see the fruits of your patience, your faith, your perseverance. You will see that every struggle, every setback, every moment of doubt was not in vain, but was a part of a greater plan—a plan designed specifically for you by the Creator, who knows you better than you know yourself, who loves you more than you can comprehend, who sees the end from the beginning and knows that you are destined to overcome.

So do not worry about how long it will take. Do not worry about the outcome. Do not let the world’s timeline dictate your faith. Trust in the Creator, who is never late, who is never early, but always on time. Trust that you are exactly where you need to be, and that the journey you are on is not a race, but a walk of faith, one step at a time, guided by the hand of the Creator.

And as you walk this path, remember to stay rooted in the fertile soil of the Creator’s love, grace, and mercy. Let your soul stand still, even when the world around you is in chaos. Let your spirit be deeply anchored, even when the winds of change threaten to uproot you. For you are not alone. You are not forgotten. You are not defeated.

The Creator is with you, guiding you, sustaining you, preparing you for something greater than you can imagine. And when the time is right, you will rise. You will overcome. You will be victorious.

Roots deep in the soil, 

Storms rage but I stand unmoved, 

Faith blooms in the night.