Blooming Where You Are Planted: A Devotional

Blooming Where You Find Yourself 

A rose captured on a morning walk at the rose garden.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

    whose confidence is in him.

8 

They will be like a tree planted by the water

    that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

    its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

    and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Good morning friends!  One of the pleasures I have enjoyed this summer is looking at my beautiful flowers that I planted in my back porch containers. They seemed to have bloomed more beautifully this summer than ever before. I would look at them while sipping my morning tea and bask in their vibrant colors. 

Imagine my surprise when I began to see the flowers that I had planted in containers popping up at the edge of the patio porch. I certainly had not planted them in this location!

And then on our gravel driveway. Nope, didn't plant them here, either!

And even under the steps of the stairs on the side of our porch! I couldn't even have managed to get them under here to plant them, lol!

And soon, there were little clumps of flowers all over our gravel driveway! And I had not planted ANY of these flowers in those locations! I learned from my sister that when flowers pop up in unusual places like this, where they have not been "planted,"  they are called volunteers. Did you know that? I guess the wind or birds carry the seeds or small seedlings from the plants and then drop them in random places where they  can either take root, grow and flourish or just die without blooming. 

 As I enjoyed these "extra" blooms this summer, it got me to thinking about the idea of "blooming where you are planted." I'm certain that these plants in the midst of gravel, or under the steps of a porch, would have much preferred to be planted in one of my porch pots with lots of wonderful and enriched potting soil surrounding them. And yet, they were blooming in these less than desirable spots in spite of the conditions that surrounded them. 

So tell me......are you blooming where you are planted? Where you find yourself in life right now? Am I blooming where I am planted and where I find myself?

I believe that in today's world, these are questions for each of us to think about and ponder. 

You know we can't always choose what surrounds us on a daily basis. We can't always choose what is happening around us in the world. And let's face it. The world around us can be a pretty depressing place at times. Our own personal lives can sometimes be less than what we would want them to be at times. Sadness, despair, illness, anxiety, personal problems and relationships, money worries and concerns about those we love and care about.....all of these are simply part of what comes with being human. 

But this is not meant to be a downer as a devotion. Rather it is meant to be just the opposite. Because along with the previously mentioned problems that can come with being human, there is also the capacity for finding great moments of happiness, contentment and joy to be found in our daily living! 

And just like these plants that found themselves planted smack dab in the middle of a gravel driveway or alongside a cement porch or hidden away under the treads of porch steps, we can still bloom and even thrive with brilliant colors and greenery!

Today's scripture from Jeremiah speaks about a tree planted next to a stream that sends out its roots to the water so that it can flourish. It likens this tree to people who have faith and confidence in the Lord. That tree didn't have to fear heat or drought or the inability to bear fruit when these horrible conditions might come. It didn't have to fear, because the tree had made sure that its roots were sent out toward the stream where it could draw in the life giving water that it would need to survive, and even thrive, when these less than optimal conditions surrounded it. 

I ask each of us, including myself, to ponder this question today. Are we rooted in the life giving water of Jesus Christ? Are we keeping our trust and confidence in the Lord, rather than in other people or sources? Are we looking for ways to continue to bloom and flourish and enjoy life, even when events around us are less than optimal? 

For me, relying on my faith helps me during both times of stress and times of joy, because I know that my roots are firmly planted in the Lord. 

May each of us have faith to help us continue to bloom and grow wherever we may find ourselves this day. 

Blessings and Peace,

Debbie