Bloom Where You Are Planted

Today my husband and I drove out of state to go to Yankee Candle in Deerfield, Mass. It was a soft, autumn day, you know, when the sky and trees and air just look and feel warm and hushed. I was thinking about how beautiful Massachusetts is, and how it might be nice to live there. Then I thought about how the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Where I live is beautiful, too, in its own way. When life changes, whether on purpose or by accident or from someone forcing change upon you, it is an exchange of problems...just different problems, and also, different blessings. Wherever we find ourselves, let's remember to bloom where we are planted. Seeds can be thrown onto the ground, and some will blow away, some will fall on rocky soil, and some will fall on good soil. Some will be eaten by the birds. Of course, the seeds on the good soil will flourish, but haven't you sometimes seen a beautiful flower coming up through a crack in the tar or cement? There's an area near my house where cement blockades have been put in along the side of the road, and this year guess what? There is grass coming through them, and it's thick! It found a way to get through, allowed the sun to shine on it, and it's growing through much less than ideal circumstances. So we too can bloom where we are planted, wherever we find ourselves today. I'm thankful for my circumstances, the good and the bad, and am determined, note the strength in the word "determined," to do my best in every situation, and enjoy a close relationship with Jesus, who goes with me wherever I am. Praise the Lord we are never alone! I hope you enjoy your day today, keep your chin up, and rejoice as you see the beauty in the little things that make up this glorious world around you. 1 Corinthians 7:17: "But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. " Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."