The Bible often reinforces the idea that we are to bloom where we are planted. When the Apostle Paul said we should learn to be content no matter what our circumstances, he was saying “Bloom where you are planted.” When Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow would take care of itself, he was saying “Bloom where you are planted.” In writing to the Corinthian Christians, Paul said, “Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them” (1 Corinthians 7:17). He was admonishing those new believers to bloom where they were planted.
Recently I had an opportunity to talk to a senior citizen, Betty, who is in her 80’s and is blooming where she is planted. Betty is a widow and a mom of three grown children and lots of grandchildren. She is a Jesus-lover from way back, and even at this stage in her life, she is finding creative ways to reach out to others with the love of Jesus.
Betty’s husband died after a very long illness where she was his main caregiver. She spent many years simply taking care of his needs. Now that she lives alone and is still driving, she has found a way to continue to share the love of Jesus with others. She goes to the grocery store every day, she told me, because “That way I don’t have heavy bags to carry if I just get a few things each day. Then, I just go up and down the aisles of the store to see who God puts in my path that day.”
Betty uses her daily trips to the grocery store as a way to meet people, to offer encouragement, to pray for people, and to let them know that Jesus loves them. Almost every day she has an opportunity to speak to someone—mostly strangers—and simply offer a moment of caring and concern. She has story after story of the people she has met in this way, and how blessed she is to have this ministry.
Betty didn’t complain about the effects of growing older, or the fact that she was alone now, or the aches and pains that occur as you age. She is just blooming where she is, bringing joy and a ray of hope to many people who just happen to shop for groceries where she does.
What does it mean to bloom where you are planted? Let’s break that down word by word. It begins with the word bloom which is a verb—an action word—and it implies that we have to be intentional about this. Blooming means producing something beautiful. So, the first word—bloom—is a directive, something we must do.
For those of us who are Christ-followers, the Bible says we are in the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. In other words, if we have made that decision to put our trust in Christ, and have been born from above through the forgiveness of our sins and the acceptance of his free gift of righteousness, we have the privilege of becoming more and more like Jesus—to think like him, talk like him, act like him; to have his attitudes, his compassion, and his love. This transformation is possible because we have the Spirit of Christ living within us, and it’s how we know we have been born from above.
We are empowered to bloom because of the Holy Spirit within us, but the truth is, we must cooperate with the Spirit. We must be intentional about blooming. Throughout the New Testament, believers are admonished to do their part in this blooming process, this transformation that should be taking place within us. For instance, Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1). And to the Christians in Colossae he said, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him” (Colossians 2:6).
You and I must be willing to bloom. That means we must nourish our lives with the Bread of Life, with God’s Word, with fellowship and Bible teaching—all the things that will feed the soil of our souls so that we are able to bloom. Blooms don’t just happen, do they? If we want our flowers to bloom this spring, we will nourish them by watering them and giving them plant food. In the same way, if we are going to bloom for Jesus, we will need to nourish our souls regularly.
Take a moment and think about how much you nourished your soul this past week. How much time did you commit to intentionally feeding your spirit? If you could mentally add up the hours you spent reading your Bible and praying, worshiping in church, participating in a Bible study, fellowshipping with other believers, reading good books and other biblical material, and any other time you spent taking in spiritual food, would it be more than one or two hours this past week? Would it be as much as one hour every day?
When I stop and think about it that way, I recognize that I can let a day go by without feeding my soul very much at all. There’s just no short cut here! If you and I want to bloom where we are planted, we must have a consistent nurturing plan for our souls because blooming requires spiritual food.
The phrase then says where you are. Do you often have the attitude that you would do so well if only you were in other circumstances? A different job, a better house, a more-understanding mate, better-behaved children, enough money, better health—if you were given better circumstances and could solve some of your problems, then you could bloom. Instead of “Bloom where you are planted,” you think, “Put me in better soil and then I’ll bloom!”
Some years ago a good friend was planted in a job where some of her coworkers were unfriendly and prejudicial toward her. Instead of lowering herself to their level, or being angry or vengeful, after much prayer, God led her to begin what she called “Project Love”—intentionally inviting these coworkers to have lunch with her so as to break down the barriers between them. It wasn’t long before these same people got to know my friend, saw in her the love of Jesus, and soon came to appreciate her; that was the beginning of some long and good friendships. She bloomed where she was.
Just this week a family member related to me that she is in a job where everybody just gripes and complains all day; there seems to be lots to complain about. A negative, complaining atmosphere is at an epidemic level, and has been for quite a long time. She decided, “I’m not going to join the gripers and complainers any longer. I’m going to go to work each day with a positive attitude and a joyful spirit. I’m not going to let them bring me down.” She is now blooming right there like a ray of sunshine in a very unpleasant environment.
Have you ever seen a crocus coming up and blooming through snow? My husband and I were talking about how hearty those flowers are and, living up here in snow country, we’ve seen them peek their heads up through the snow and start blooming even without warm spring weather. That’s what my niece is doing—she’s peeking up through the negative, cold atmosphere where she works and is blooming right there where she’s planted.
How about you? Do you feel like you’re a crocus in a snow storm, trying to bloom in the midst of difficult and discouraging people or a cold and hostile environment? The Apostle Paul was continually in very difficult situations—far worse than anything you or I will ever experience. But he was able to say, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12). Note that he learned the secret of being content. Contentment does indeed seem to be a secret that not many have discovered. Do you know many people whom you would describe as very contented? How about yourself: Have you learned the secret of being content?
Far too often we believe that contentment is linked to what we do or what we have. Sadly, our expectations keep moving higher and higher such that, when we get that something we thought would make us contented, it doesn’t last long and we try for something more. This secret is really quite simple—not easy, but simple. The secret of contentment is learning to be satisfied with what we have and with who we are. It’s an attitude adjustment that we must intentionally make. And we don’t just make it once and for all; honestly, for most of us, it is a daily attitude adjustment because we can so easily slide back into that “more is better” attitude and lose the secret of contentment.
Here is another description of the secret of contentment which Paul gave the church in Thessalonica: “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants you to thank him because you believe in Christ Jesus” (NIRV, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). A contented person will be a thankful person—giving thanks no matter what happens, blooming where they are planted.
The last word in this saying is planted. Bloom where you are planted. When something is planted, it is placed there intentionally; it’s not just a wild flower springing up on a mountainside. Someone has gone to the trouble of preparing a place where this seed can be planted. Being planted implies that something outside of itself had a purpose for putting that plant in that place.
Where you are now is where God has planted you! Oh, there may have been all kinds of circumstances, good and bad, that have brought you to the spot where you are now planted. But God has this marvelous way of taking you where you are and preparing the soil for you right there, so that you can bloom where you are planted.
I spent many years being discontent with where I was planted, and desperately trying to change my situation. I was a single mom, and I thought being single was the worst place in the world to be planted. So, finding a husband and getting married became the driving force of my life for about ten long years. My lack of contentment led me to a lifestyle that was not pleasing to God. This belief—that if I were married I would be contented—caused me to stray from biblical principles that I had been taught by godly parents and through attending good churches. This lack of contentment was the thing that caused my feet to wander from God’s path.
If you are not contended today with where you are planted, I want to urge you to learn the secret of contentment. Learn to be content, to be thankful, and to find ways of service right where you are. I am very grateful that even though I wandered far off for many years, God graciously and patiently brought me back, and I began to learn the secret of contentment. It was a learning process, I can assure you, but as I began to nurture my soul and put God first in my life, little by little I learned to be truly content. Oh, I’m not able to maintain that all day, every day—I had and have my moments of discontent, even now. But in the most important ways, I have learned the secret of being content, and that has changed everything.
I came to the place of being totally content with my singleness, and even beyond that to actually appreciating its benefits—the fact that I could get involved with many areas of ministry because I was single. Now, after over forty-years of being single, a year-and-a-half ago God gave me a husband and we are enjoying the companionship and fun of being married. I am totally convinced that because I learned to be content as a single woman, I can now be contented as a married woman. Had I not learned that secret, no marriage would have ever met my need for contentment.
I hope you’re hearing what I’m saying: If you want the peace and joy that only Jesus can give, learn to be content. Bloom where you are planted, and let go of your idols—the things you believe will make you content. Those things are truly the idols of our lives, as marriage became an idol for me. Let it go, give God permission to control your life, and learn the secret of being content. You will never regret it!