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The Bible often reinforces this 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 (Philippians 4:11), he was saying “Bloom where you are planted.” When Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow would take care of itself (Matthew 6:34), 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, in her late 80’s, who 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 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. So 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 said, “That way I don’t have heavy bags to carry if I just get a few things each day. And 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 just break that down word by word. It begins with the word “bloom” which is a verb—an action word—and it implies that you have to be intentional about this. Blooming means producing something beautiful. So, the first word—bloom—is a directive, something you 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 you have made that decision to put your trust in Christ and have been born from above through the forgiveness of your sins and the acceptance of his free gift of righteousness, you have the privilege to become more and more like Jesus. To think like him, talk like him, act like him, have his attitudes, his compassion, his love. And this transformation is possible because we have the Spirit of Christ living within us—that’s how we know we have been born from above.

So, 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—in 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 and 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 you want your flowers to bloom, you will nourish them—water them, give them plant food. In the same way, if we are going to bloom for Jesus, we will need to nourish our souls regularly.

Would you just take a moment and think about how much you nourish your soul? 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?

You know, 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.

Then it 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—just give you better circumstances, solve some of your problems, and then you can 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, and in that way breaking 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 and that was the beginning of some long and good friendships. She bloomed where she was.

Recently my niece related to me that she was in a job where everybody just griped and complained all day. There seems to be lots to complain about, and this negative complaining atmosphere is at an epidemic level and has been for quite a long time. But she just 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 and I’m not going to let them bring me down.” So, she’s 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 blooming right there—right there where she’s planted.

How about you? Do you feel like you’re a crocus in a snowstorm? Trying to bloom in the midst of difficult and discouraging people or a cold or 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 people have discovered. Do you know many people who you would describe as very contented? How about yourself: Do you know the secret of being content? Have you learned that secret?

Far too often we believe that contentment is linked to what we do or what we have—and our expectations keep moving higher and higher, so that when we get that something we thought would make us contented, it doesn’t last long, so 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 you have and with who you are. It’s an attitude adjustment that you must intentionally make, and you 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” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIRV). A contented person will be a thankful person—giving thanks no matter what happens. Blooming where you are planted.

And the last word in this saying is “planted.” Bloom where you are planted. When something is planted, it is placed there intentionally, right? It’s not just a wildflower springing up on a mountainside. Someone has gone to the trouble of preparing a spot, 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.

You know, 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 us where we are and preparing the soil for us even there, so that we can bloom where we 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 that 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. That lack of contentment led me to a lifestyle that was not pleasing to God. That 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 by attending good churches. That lack of contentment was the thing that caused my feet to wander from God’s path.

If you are not contended with where you are planted, I want to urge you to learn the secret of contentment. Learn to be content, to be thankful, 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 I began to nurture my soul and put God first in my life, and little by little I truly learned to be content. Oh, not all day every day—I had and have my moments of discontent even now. But in the most important ways I learned the secret of being content. And that changed everything.

I came to the place of being totally content with my singleness—actually appreciating the benefits of being single and 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 few years ago God gave me a husband and we are enjoying the companionship and fun of being married. But I am totally convinced that because I learned to be content as a single woman, I can now be contented as a married woman. And had I not learned that secret, no marriage would have ever met my need for contentment.

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 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.