Bloom Where You Are Planted
Where did this plant come from? Why did it sprout here? Why is it doing better in this random spot when the plants I actually planted in my garden are struggling?
I love to garden. But this year, I’ve struggled. I’ve been out of town, unable to tend it regularly. Still, it’s gotten plenty of sun and rain. And yet despite all my planning and care, my garden is wilting. I don’t know why. But this one plant, growing out of a compost pile in my driveway of all places, is thriving.
A compost pile isn’t exactly prime real estate for a plant. It’s not what you’d call fertile. I didn’t plan for anything to grow there. My attention and hope have been focused on the garden beds I prepared; meanwhile, this forgotten spot is hosting the healthiest plant on my property.
A Lesson from the Compost
Every morning, I pass that plant in the picture above, and I’m reminded of something I heard a long time ago, advice more than a quote: “Bloom where you are planted.” This anonymous little sprout is preaching a sermon better than most I’ve heard lately.
Imagine if plants could talk. What might they say as they looked around?
“I wish it wasn’t so rainy.” “If I were planted over there, I’d look better.” “There aren’t enough butterflies here. I’m not reaching my full potential.” “This spot isn’t ideal. The sun doesn’t hit me right.”
And yet—there it is, growing each day strong and taller.
Providence in the Present
That plant doesn’t have a say in where it grows. And the truth is, neither do we, not really.
God has placed you in this job, this town, this family, this church, this generation, for a reason. It may not feel ideal. It may not even seem fair. But it is His doing. That’s called providence. His wise and good governance over all things.
“He determined the allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” – Acts 17:26
It was God who gave you your parents. It was God who placed you in 2025. It was God who planted you in this season and in this place. And the lesson for you and me is this: stop looking around and start growing where He’s planted you.
Stop comparing. Stop waiting for the perfect circumstances. The compost pile may just be the place where God plans to show His power.
What It Looks Like to Bloom
To bloom doesn’t mean to be loud or famous or even comfortable. Sometimes blooming looks like faithfulness. Sometimes it looks like loving the people around you when you’d rather escape. It’s serving. Praying. Being patient. Speaking truth. Bearing fruit.
Joseph, in Genesis, was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned. Yet in each place, we’re told “the Lord was with him,” and Joseph blessed others wherever he was.
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good...” – Genesis 50:20
Wherever he landed, he bloomed.
And so can you.
Live in the Here and Now
When we’re too consumed with the future or stuck in the past, we miss what God is doing today. When we’re comparing our lives to others, we waste the soil we’ve been given.
“Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile... and pray to the Lord on its behalf.” – Jeremiah 29:7
Live in the here and now. Ask God to bless you where you are. Then get to work, blooming. There is no wasted place in God’s economy.
A Prayer to End With:
Ask God today: “Lord, give me the grace to live for You where You have placed me. Help me to bloom—for Your glory.”
