2 minute read
Bloom Where You Are Planted
from May 2022
Gò0dNews for Everyone
Bloom Where You Are Planted
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by Beth Penny
Have you ever heard the saying, “Bloom where you’re planted?” Here’s what I know. If I planted it, it surely will not bloom, grow, or flourish in the least. Any plant that I touch will inevitably die within a couple of weeks. I walk by beautiful flowers in the store that cringe as I pass, pleading me not to pick them up. Because if I buy and plant them, it is a death sentence for the poor seedlings. I wish I could take those scrawny seedlings and help them to flourish into flowers, fruits, and vegetables. God looks at us the same way. Not for what we are at that second, but for what potential He sees in us to bloom where we are planted.
And, God does plant us. He readies a place for us to flourish and grow. He will lead us in the direction that He wants us to go. But we are only human. Sometimes, we stand in the way of where God is leading us. Sometimes, when God is trying to use us, we look for every excuse in the world not to do whatever it is that God is telling us to do. “I’m not ready. I’m not qualified. I’m not worthy.” The list of excuses keeps going. The reality is that when God calls you to do something, He also equips you. God will prepare and provide for you with whatever you need to be productive. God always gives us the tools that we can use to grow.
Even knowing that, sometimes, I am still stubborn. In my insecurities, I question God being able to use me. “Why? Why me? Someone else could do a better job.” Well, the answer is God didn’t call someone else—He is calling me; He is calling you. He is calling us to further His message to the world. I’m sure you’ve heard the story of Moses. Moses, with his insecurities, as well, angered God questioning His call to rescue the Hebrew people. Exodus 4: 10-12 says, “Moses said to the Lord, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’”
God uses imperfect people to spread a perfect word. God uses our insecurities to further His message. A wise pastor recently told me, “When I look for workers, I don’t look for the most charismatic, the most gifted, or the most talented. I look for those that are most willing to grow.” I encourage you to look for where God is leading you. Look for where the ground is ready for you and bloom where you are planted.
About The Author Beth Penny has taught English at Model High School since 1997. There she is also the Yearbook adviser and the Special Education Department Chair. She and her husband, Chad, have four children.
