Bloom Where You're Planted

Have you heard the phrase “bloom where you are planted”? Do one search on Pinterest for “inspirational sayings” and I promise it’ll show up eventually. We like this saying (not just because it looks good in watercolor), but because there’s a nugget of truth in it: grow right where you are.

Many of us spend a lot of time wishing away where we are. If we could just get that promotion, get that raise, change our circumstances, or move on to something new, then everything would be better. Sometimes we go looking for something new not because God is leading us there, but simply because we’re bored with what we have.

That’s a little like what God tells his people through Jeremiah. The Israelites are staring down a reality they never wanted: exile in Babylon. And God’s message isn’t, “Find a way out.” It’s, essentially, dig in. Build houses. Plant gardens. Raise families. Seek the good of the city where you find yourself. In other words, live faithfully here.

As we seek to make everywhere we are a sacred space, what if God is inviting you to “dig in” right where you are? Maybe it’s your workplace, your neighborhood, your school, or even a difficult season of life. Instead of constantly daydreaming about escape, what would it look like to ask, “How can I bring the presence of God into this place?” You may not have chosen where you are right now, but you can choose to faithfully grow where God has planted you.