Bloom Where You're Planted

We finally got rid of it.  The towering blossom I've been nursing along since April.  It was as tall as my kitchen window.  And, it could barely stand up by itself anymore because its base was too small with not enough room to grow out its roots; a tiny hand-painted pot that would have been better suited for some other flower, and by 'other' I really mean shorter. 

But this flower of ours, this leaning-tower-of-daisies, definitely gets an A+ for effort.  It grew and grew and grew AND GREW...and then finally bloomed some time in the beginning of July.  Despite the undersized pot it had been planted in.  What kind of teacher plants tall daisies in a mini-pot for a 2nd grade Mother's Day project?  At least we were successful in getting blooms this year - last year's Mother's Day project never bloomed because my daughter had unfortunately planted the seeds too deeply under the dirt.

But back to this year's flower  - it definitely bloomed where it was planted!  Now, maybe you've heard that phrase before but my daily reminder of it for the past 4+ months has made me think of some interesting reflections on this phrase and what it means to us as children of God. 

You see, God refers to us as flowers a few times:
- In Matthew 6:28 we're told to not worry about clothing because God clothes the lillies of the field, and does so with more glory than Solomon was ever clothed in.

- Hosea 14:5 refers to Israel as blossoming like lillies if they return to God and repent.

- In Psalm 103:15 God says we flourish as flowers of the field, but once the flowers are gone, the place they once were acknowledges them no more.

What insights did my summertime window decor give me?

1)  Our flower didn't think "If I can't grow in the most beautiful garden, I'm not gonna grow at all."
How many of us Christians think we have to be going to a beautifully decorated and wonderfully managed church or have a charasmatic preacher or have to do a study by a well-known author in order to grow in God's word?  Or, how many of us fall into the trap of saying things like "Someday when this or that happens I'll do better with my daily devotions" or "If I only had this or that I could be more devoted in my walk."  When we do these things we're acting just like a brazen flower bold enough to say to God "I'm not gonna grow here!"

2)  Our flower didn't worry about its water supply, sunlight, or dirt.  It relied on us for its daily needs.
God's grace is given to us on a daily basis, on an as-needed basis.  Why do we think God should give us an advance on the grace we will receive from Him in the days ahead?  Would it have made sense for me to give the flower all it's supply of water for the summer back in the month April?  Why do we then think God should give us any more grace than what we need for getting through TODAY.  2 Corinthians 12:9 says "His grace is sufficient"...and that means sufficient for today.  This also means we need to be close to God each day to fill up on His 'dose' of grace for us.

3)  On days when sunlight was scarce our flower didn't start growing towards our indoor lighting and give up completely on sunlight.  Even though it was a cloudy and subdued-sun day, our flower knew sunlight was still best for its growth.
The only thing that will help us grow is His Light, His Son.  And we need to rely on Him even when we feel (or it may appear) that something else would be better for us, something of this world.  Like a large savings account to save us when we lose our job.  Or a TV show to make us feel like we have meaningful relationships.  Alcohol or drugs to soothe our worries.  Busyness to drown out the lonliness.  Nothing will help us except for Jesus Christ.  Nothing will fill the emptiness like Jesus Christ.  Nothing will satisfy us but Him.  He is our source of life, just as sunlight and water are life to a flower. 

Photo Credit

Just like the flowers in the field obey His command,

we should be blooming wherever HE has planted us.

 

Whatever season we are in right now,
God expects us to turn our faces toward Him,  

just as a flower turns towards the sun, 

to receive our life and strength.  

Then others around us can enjoy our beauty;

beauty that reflects the care of our Creator, 

the power of our Maker,

the faithfulness of our Sustainer.

Bloom, sister, bloom

and bring glory to your Father.

Here's my little flower holding her flower. :)