Bloom Where You are Planted

“No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the  vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:4-5 (NIV)

“Bloom where you are planted” was a popular slogan a while back. It was inscribed on wall décor, bookmarks, and jewelry. What does it mean to bloom where you are planted? It means to accept wherever you find yourself in life – to grow, bloom, and bear fruit right where God has placed you. It means to be thankful and joyful in all things, bringing beauty and grace to your surroundings.
Sometimes we find ourselves in hard situations. We are like flowers growing between two rocks. Did you ever try to transplant a plant that grew in a crevice? Most of the roots have sought nourishment in soil deep beneath the rocks. When we dig up a plant that springs up in the rocks, it generally does not survive because the deepest roots tear away from the plant as we remove it. However, if we leave it where planted by nature, it will flourish and one day bloom. The placement of a plant among rocks can add out-of-the-ordinary interest and beauty to its surroundings. Could it be that God sometimes places us in difficult circumstances so that we can bloom and bring beauty to those around us?
When God plants us in a difficult place, we sometimes want to escape. However, adversity provides more opportunity for growth than privilege does. Dealing with the
harsh conditions of life produces character, courage, compassion, and hope, IF, we allow God to lead us and feed us where He has planted us. The secret is to remain where He placed us, allowing our roots to go deeper to find nourishment in Him. Then we will bloom like the flowers that grow in harsh conditions on rocky mountainsides, bringing joy to our surroundings.

In the rocky places of life, our spiritual roots must tap into deeper sources of strength. The key to blooming where planted is to abide in Christ. To abide means to remain, live, continue, or to stay permanently in one place. In John 15:4-5, John makes it clear that without abiding in the vine (the vine being Jesus), we cannot bear fruit. In other words, if we do not continue to tap into His resources, we will wither and die spiritually. Everything in nature that bears fruit must first bloom and the only way to bloom and bear good spiritual fruit is to remain in Jesus. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own, neither can we bear spiritual fruit without staying connected to the vine that nurtures us.

Are you allowing Jesus to nourish you right where He has planted you?