There’s an old saying from my youth that says, “Bloom where you’re planted!” I’ve always liked the thought of blooming wherever you are in life. The thought of not waiting until the perfect time to be who you were meant to be. To bloom where you’re planted is about thriving in whatever situation you are in. It’s important to strive to thrive, especially when life gets difficult and challenging.
There are times that the world throws so much dirt at me, it takes everything within me just to get through another day without my petals wilting too much. The message of blooming where I’m planted can give hope that I might bring beauty to the ugliness and chaos of my little corner of the world.
I believe that is most of the lesson the author of this little saying was trying to get across. But I wonder if there might not be just a little more to it. I wonder if the sentiment behind this simple saying could also be taken as a call to action – blooming beyond where I’m currently planted.
I’m thinking that maybe, just maybe I should allow myself to get carried away every once in a while. Maybe stepping outside of my comfort zone is exactly what I need to be an even better version of myself.
In my garden at home, once my flowers have blossomed, I trim back the old to make way for the new. The more I cut them back, the more beautiful their flowers will be in the next season. Sometimes, I let them go to seed. That just means I leave them to go through the process of replanting and blooming naturally. Once the old flowers have died off, their seeds dry and are blown by the wind to other locations for another life of blooming somewhere else.
Flowers are amazing things. They provide color and beauty to the hillsides and meadows of the world. They are the visual that proves there is life – the desert is a perfect example of that! Even though it looks dry, dusty and dead, the tiny flowering plants scattered throughout the desert floor are proof that the desert is alive.
If we only cultivated flowers to remain in our own gardens and everyone bloomed where they were planted, how would the vast meadows of wild flowers ever come to be? Didn’t a seed or two need to get carried off by the wind to find a new place to bloom? If God’s plan for me is to travel the world to share His love, but I’m so busy blooming in my comfortable neighborhood and church pew that I ignore His call to bloom somewhere else, haven’t I missed out? I’m still blooming where I’m planted, but I’m just another flower in a long row of them.
I decided to make a list of things that either I’m currently doing or that I’d like to be doing that are examples of blooming where I’m planted while allowing some of my petals to get carried away to bloom elsewhere.
- Volunteering for something at church that I wouldn’t normally volunteer for
- Helping out at a food bank or soup kitchen
- Spending time at a senior center. Sing, read to the residents or just sit and listen to someone who doesn’t have family nearby
- Since I love gardening, help my elderly neighbor with their yard work
As I look at my list, I realize that everything on it is doable no matter my current skill set. All it takes to tackle anything on this list is a little time and a little bit of stepping outside my comfort zone.
The most important thing is to be willing to bloom. Be flexible enough that you’re willing to be carried away by the wind. Be strong enough to bloom in the dirt and junk that surrounds you right now. But be your own bloom! God may be calling you to bring the beauty of your colors to a far off nation; or He may want you to be the biggest bloom in a sea of other flowers right where you are. Be yourself. Don’t let others define you. You were created in the image of God. He knows everything about you and he appreciates every single part of you.
And you and I were both created to bloom where we’re planted….wherever that may be!
How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold? Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom is bold. – William Wordsworth
