Bloom where you are planted. That’s what I tell myself AND my window box flowers every year. If my flowers would just bloom where they are planted, we would not have a problem. I love gardening, but it is a lot of work. Anything worthwhile is. Using the right flowers-in the right soil-in the right conditions…My personality dictates easy to grow, low maintenance kinds of flowers for my garden. This is so me. My daughter, Kathie, has beautiful billowing flowers every year. She’s a great gardener. It’s an art, I am convinced. I also realize that for my flowers to ‘bloom where they are planted’ it will take some effort on my part. 

Consider that as Christ-followers we have our own garden of unique flowers. Those that surround us are unique souls. How awesome would it be to help others bloom where they are planted, too. Some people are fragile, tender shoots, some have weeds trying to suck the life out of them, some are dying and are not producing any blooms. Still others are thriving and surviving many harsh conditions. The Word of God encourages us to nurture them as we ourselves are nurtured. As Christ-followers, we can help provide the right growing conditions that facilitate spiritual growth by cultivating an inviting, loving, safe environment around us. We can then water them regularly (with the water of the Word), feed them the right food (Jesus, The Bread of Life), then the Master Gardener can deadhead or prune them to cause them to produce more luscious growth (prayer, confession, accountability) or place them where they get just the right amount of sunlight (focused study time each day) or transfer them to bigger containers when they need it (deeper study questions and higher level opportunities to serve), etc. Think about how this could look in your life if you help others to bloom where they are planted. Ask God, The Master Gardener Himself, to teach you what you need to know to grow and tend to your own garden of unique flowers. Go ahead and start planting!! Consider this foundation:

First, plant five rows of peas: PRAYER, PERSEVERANCE, POLITENESS, PROMPTNESS, PURITY next, plant three rows of squash: SQUASH GOSSIP, SQUASH CRITICISM, SQUASH INDIFFERENCE then five rows of lettuce: LET US BE FAITHFUL TO GOD, LET US BE UNSELFISH, LET US BE TRUTHFUL, LET US FOLLOW CHRIST, LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER no garden is complete without turnips: TURN UP FOR BIBLE STUDY, TURN UP WITH A SMILE, TURN UP WITH NEW IDEAS, TURN UP WITH DETERMINATION TO MAKE EVERYTHING YOU DO COUNT FOR SOMETHING GOOD AND WORTHWHILE 

                                                     author unknown