Bloom Where You Are Planted
Originally posted on September 5, 2018
This past month, I’ve been soaking up my time in Ohio, loving and being loved by the people I’ll miss most, before I pack up and move to Chicago. This year, I’ve become extremely aware of the blessings the Lord has planted in my life here in my little hometown, and I’ve been tempted to dig my heels in the sand, stubborn and sad to leave, where I can so clearly see the Lord’s love blooming in my life. Where I feel comfortable, supported, and at ease. I’ve felt deep sorrow about leaving my friends and family, and I’ve questioned the Lord over and over: “Do you really want me to go to Chicago? What if I’m not happy? What if I’m not qualified for this job? I don’t know about this Lord…” But the Lord’s answer is always the same: “Yes. Trust me.”
I know in the depths of my soul that the Lord is calling me out of my comfort, my “safety.” Although I can’t clearly see what my new life in Chicago will be, I know He is calling me to trust beyond what my small, limited human view can see or predict, and have faith in His goodness, in His divine plan. To have hope that His plan is better than any plan I could craft with my weak human hands.
Looking back at my life, I’ve seen the times the Lord has planted me in places and states of life I never would have chosen for myself and often resented: attending Franciscan University, staying in my hometown every summer, this (very) long period of singlehood...Yet, every time without fail, I’m amazed at the abundant blessings I have received and the growth I accomplished during those times. I clearly see that I learned and grew more than I ever would have if I had planted myself where I wanted.
So now, although I’m tempted to pursue a more comfortable path, I know I must surrender and allow the Lord to lead me and plant me where He wills, where I will grow most abundantly.
Friends, I encourage you to trust the Lord and bloom where you are planted, even if the Lord has put you in a place or state you never would have chosen for yourself. But the Lord knows better than us. He knows what He is about. And, even if it’s only in hindsight or in the next life, we will see why the Lord crafted the specific plan He did for us. Trust that where the Lord has planted you is best, and let your roots deepen and grow.
The Lord has sufficiently watered my roots here in Ohio, but I know he is gently uprooting me and planting me somewhere else, where even more abundant blessings will flow. I’m hesitant to leave, but I know I can trust the Lord with everything. I’m learning to grow where I’m planted, because I know that even if the soil may seem rocky, my roots are deep and well-tended if I am rooted where the Lord has called me.
Although I’m sad to say goodbye to something so beautiful and blessed, I know it’s time to leave. And in this time of uncertainty of what’s next, of exploring territory uncharted, I know I can trust that the Lord is with me, guiding me and holding my life in His capable hands, even when I can’t feel Him there. So I’ll bloom where I’m planted, trusting that the Lord’s life-giving, ever-flowing grace is sufficient.
Lord Jesus, I surrender my life, my desires, my everything to you. Use me as you will.