by Phyllis Ducey
pfdoriginalartworks
Bloom where you are planted. That is hardly a Bible verse nor is it even trendy... kind of old and corny but it is one of my firm beliefs in life. I believe it applies to every part of your life... to be the best you can be at work, play, and home. I especially believe we are to allow the God given gifts that we have to blossom in our life. I love the concept so much that I actually have it on my office wall for people to see when they walk in.
And if you really think about it, isn't it the same concept as in Colossians 3:23?
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men"I am sure that there are a few of you who are reading this who are exactly in life where you want to be. Maybe you have the job of your dreams, living in the house of your dreams, married to the man of your dreams and have 2 dream children! (FYI, you Australians need to catch up... you average less than 2, not enough to maintain your population!) Oops, got side-tracked in my statistic searches.
Most of us, however, are not exactly where we would like to be. May be you are struggling with chronic illness, a child with disabilities, you're an unhappy single, you're an unhappy married, raising kids was much harder than you expected, you thought by now you would have a house, but don't, you had a house but are losing it, you should have been promoted but wasn't.... I could go on and on about the things we are unsatisfied with but I would not come close to covering them all. If you choose to, you can use it as an excuse not to be who God created you to be.
When we were younger in our marriage, I used my husband. He did not have the faith I did and would not have wanted to go to church on Sundays. I used that as my excuse not to move forward in my walk with the Lord. I did not pursue church because I "thought" it might cause problems. But God had many discussion with me about this. Finally He impressed on me that I should be obedient to Him and He would work out the rest. So one day I told my honey that I intended to start going to church. To my great surprise his answer was that he thought it was a good idea! We all should go. No more excuses there.
Then came the question of where to go. We had sent our kids to some youth group activities to a local Bible believing church, Evangelical Free of Wauconda (IL) at the encouragement of an acquaintance. I had had a bad interaction with one of the leaders of my son's group which gave me another excuse not to go to church for awhile. When we brought up the question of where to go, the kids said they wanted to go there. Not me, anywhere but there! But once again the Lord nudged me and I reluctantly started attending that church.
In retrospect, I am convinced that it was where God wanted me to be. Once I got past my panic attacks, thinking I was cooler than the church ladies, trying to fight being put into a mold (which they never did), and focused on God's Word, I started to bloom. It took me a long time for the roots to begin but we had a great pastor, Christopher Barnes who patiently guided me and my family towards the Lord and His Truth. As I dug into His Word, was stretched and encouraged by Pastor Barnes, the acquaintance (who became my best friend), and the church body, it was not long until I became a deaconess, led Bible studies, prayer meetings and became a board member.
My roots dug deep and I felt as if I was in my stride. God planted me and I was fertilized, watered, basked in His Son's light and was producing fruit. I never in my life felt as if I belonged anywhere until that point. I knew that was where I was meant to be. Then as if God wanted to challenge my faithfulness, my roots were ripped out of the ground and we moved to Cloquet, MN.
No matter what, I know I am to bloom where I am planted. And I am working on becoming rooted. It is a bit harder than I expected, I am starting over but I know God will continue to fertilize, water and provide me with the light from His Word as long as I am faithful. Now I'm just wondering what the flower will look like when it finally comes to bloom.
So here I am, starting over. Not easy at my age to readjust, to make friends when my peers are all settled with their friends and families. Having to acclimate to a new church, climate and lifestyle. It has been a culture change for me and I often feel alone and lonely for my friends and family... for someone who "gets me". Some people get homesick... I get friendsick.
No matter what, I know I am to bloom where I am planted. And I am working on becoming rooted. It is a bit harder than I expected, I am starting over but I know God will continue to fertilize, water and provide me with the light from His Word as long as I am faithful. Now I'm just wondering what the flower will look like when it finally comes to bloom.
Here are some shops where each artist is using gifts from God in unique ways. Please check them out and don't forget to heart!
 |  |
| Original art by CalligraphicArtisan | Aqua Blue Handbag by 1mADwoman |
 |  |
| Notecards by thepaperflowershop | Old barn photo by PamlicoBee |
 |  |
| Hair clip by TheStubbyElephant | Flower earrings by leopards33 |
 |  |
| Insecticide Recipe by whatshername | Photo prints by DarlaDear |
 |  |
| Personalized blanket by southernsassypants | Rose necklace by HelensHarvest |
11:05 PM |
Category:
bloom,
bloom where you are planted,
Christoper Barnes,
God,
Phyllis Ducey,
plant,
planted,
Wauconda Evangelical Free Church
|
6
comments
Comments (6)
Great Post, Phyllis! I also like Phil 4:12 "...I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation..." Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks, Phyllis. As someone who moves every two years or so it's challenging to get settled anywhere, but we try for the dandelion version of the old saying--bloom where the wind blows you.
Col 3:23 is the verse I chose as my business motto.
Thank you so much for this post. I love reading these and absorb every bit of it. I guess you could say like a plant that is watered, absorbs all the water, and then needs to be watered once again.
♥♥♥
Sue
Great message -- If we had our way we would not change anything and our lives would be very narrow.
Thanks for sharing... it's a great reminder for all of us!
Such an inspiring piece thank you! Don't you think Paul's "I have learnt to be content with any and every situation" is a version of "bloom where you're planted"?? Sort of anyway. Thank you for encouraging us to be content and live for God wherever we are!