There is that age-old saying, “Bloom where you’re planted.” It’s cliché at this point. This problem I have with clichés is that often, we are so familiar with the saying and the concept that we don’t put it into practice.
I feel like this cliché goes hand in hand with another saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” Again, we hear this one all the time. It’s easy to forget how true it is.
We can always find things to be jealous of. Even when we have everything we wanted, seeing someone else with more than us can trigger jealousy. Sure, we have grass here, but over there it looks so much better…
I think the “bloom where you’re planted” saying more often refers to using the gifts you have wherever you are, but it is also a call to be happy with what you have. No need to look at the green grass just out of reach; you have what you need right where you are.
These principles apply to so many areas of life. It can apply to material possessions, the talents we have, or sometimes the areas of ministry we are involved in.
It’s far too easy to look at what other Christians are accomplishing in another field and wish we were there, because then we’d be making a difference. But we have been set where we are for a reason. And really, if we are unhappy in what God has led us to do, that speaks more about our own hearts than whether or not what we’re doing is have “impact”, like that’s a tangible thing to be measured.
To bloom where we’re planted is to decide to act with humility despite this maybe not being what we want. To trust God’s plan for us. To do everything we can to the best of our ability. To serve, not because it benefits us, but because it benefits others.
