Choose to bloom where you have been planted
"You have chosen me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you (I have planted you), that you might go and bear fruit ..."
- John 15:16 (AMP)
As I walked in my driveway, my neighbor's withering tulips caught me eye. I was disappointed to see them with their petals falling off. I pondered how nice it would have been to catch a glance at them while they were in full bloom.
When I see the tulips blooming each spring it brings special memories of my mysterious tulip story.
One day, while walking in my driveway, I noticed a patch of bright, red tulips growing between my garage and my next-door neighbor's fence. Funny thing, I didn't remember ever seeing tulips bloom there before. I wondered who planted them.
For days I couldn't get the red flowers off my mind. I enjoyed them so much; I considered having them transplanted to a more viewable spot. But I was still curious who planted them there in the first place.
One night, I asked my husband if he knew anything about them. He reminded me that a few years prior he had dug up some weeds that were growing too close to the house. He said he threw them in a large dirt pile next to the garage and doused them with some old paint thinner; he thought he was just killing off a pile of weeds.
The only thing he could figure was the previous owners of our house must have planted some tulip bulbs in the soil he dug up and buried. Listening to his explanation, I thought how hardy those flowers were to push their way through thick and thin to bloom under those conditions.
Life oftentimes plants us in unique circumstances. We may be planted as a parent, or in particular jobs or vocations. We could find ourselves placed in situations we're dissatisfied with, such as living as a single parent or experience a loss of some kind or disability.
God has not caused our hardship, but uses it to bring us closer to him, strengthen and teach us things we may never have learned. Sometimes, God wants us to be an example to others or make some kind of a difference where we are planted. Look at how God used many great men and women throughout history to blossom and change the world.
Wherever life has planted us today, we should pray and ask God to give us wisdom and insight to use the situation for our good and the good of others. We need to embrace change and challenge. As we submit to God's leading, we can move forward into his will as we choose to bloom where we are planted!
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.