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| Photo by Tim Deegan |
“Bloom where you are planted,” wrote the Bishop of Geneva, Saint Francis de Sales. Various Bible verses carry a similar message.
- “Everyone should live the life that the Lord gave him and to which God called him,” (1 Corinthians 7:17 ISV)
- “And who knows but that you have come to your position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14 NIV)
- “I will always show you where to go. I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places . . .” (Isaiah 58:11 The Message)
Instead of looking around at what God HAS brought into our lives, many of us lament lost opportunities, too few material things, less than ideal relationships, and too little influence. We wish we lived somewhere else, were with someone else, or were blessed with more time and “stuff”.
Blooming where we are planted requires looking within and around. 1 Peter 4:10 instructs us to serve one another with whatever gift each of us has received, like good stewards of God’s manifold grace.
Henry Blackaby, in his book Experiencing God, offers seven precepts that I have found helpful to keep in mind when I am seeking how to bloom where God has planted me:
- God is always at work around us.
- God pursues a continuing love relationship with each person that is real and personal.
- God invites each one to become involved with Him in His work.
- God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church (the fellowship of believers) to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
- God’s invitation to work with Him requires faith and action.
- Joining God in what He is doing will bring about major adjustments in our lives.
- We get to know God better as we obey Him, allowing Him to accomplish His work through us.
