Bloom Where PLANTED!

 I’ve had my share of whirlwinds and treacherous waters, and those experiences have given me insights and perspectives I never would have gained otherwise. Trials have a way of revealing things about ourselves, things we might not want to see. I’ve learned much about who I am, and I can’t say I’ve liked all of it. Hard experiences expose weaknesses, and I certainly have mine. But without those trials, I wouldn’t have recognized them, and without recognizing them, I wouldn’t have been humbled enough to see how much I still need to grow in my journey to become like Him, even Jesus Christ.

I’ve written about “Blooming where you are planted” before, but that phrase takes on a very different meaning when you find yourself planted in a place you never wanted to be. Blooming isn’t as easy, or as cheerful, as I once imagined. In fact, I’ve fought against it. I didn’t want to bloom where I was planted. I wanted to be transplanted somewhere more comfortable, somewhere familiar, somewhere I thought I was doing just fine.

The first picture of blooming makes it look simple, sunlight, soft soil, everything just right. But the second picture is closer to reality. More often than not, we find ourselves wedged between a rock and a hard place, trying to grow in conditions that feel impossible.

And yet, that’s where the deepest growth happens.

Trials reveal truth. They uncover weaknesses we didn’t know we had and strength we didn’t know we needed. They humble us, soften us, and turn our hearts toward the Savior. Blooming in hard places isn’t about pretending everything is fine. It’s about trusting that God can bring beauty out of the cracks. It’s about surrendering to the Master Gardener, who knows exactly where growth will take root.

Blooming where you’re planted isn’t about liking the soil.

It’s about letting Christ transform you in it.