Blooming Where You're Planted

I live life trying to get to the next stage, trying to accomplish the next thing on the checklist, striving to reach the next, better destination. Something my Mum has always told me is to bloom where you're planted. I was never a fan of the saying because it was basically saying to not only be content with where you are and whatever you have but also to use what's available to the best of your abilities, in a way that glorifies the Lord. I knew of plenty of ways I could glorify the Lord in other places, or how I would be very useful if I had a particular set of gifts or than the ones I had. Ultimately, my thought process was, once I'm moved to a fabulous location and given a spectacular, showy set of gifts, I'd be good to go :)

God's moved me to Starkville and I've spent a long time denying it. I still loathe the name. Stark: stripped, barren, boring... (what a unpleasant word!!). Ville....vile..... One of my good friends will be in Africa ministering to orphans (something I've been longing to do for a number of years), the other will be in Memphis, doing urban ministries in the ghetto. I'll be on campus, working or taking classes. I did choose to do this, once again, so I can get ahead, or rather so that I don't "get behind." My best friend will be there and that is an awesome blessing.

Now, only after nearly 20 years of hearing this phrase from my Mum, I'm starting to figure out what that means. Even though I can't see the opportunities I want to see in Starkville, the best opportunities for me right now are there. Learning how to live in Starkville right now doesn't mean that I'll spend the rest of my life there, its just an opportunity for growth. It means learning how to work with what is there. It's still not easy to believe, in fact I rarely believe, that even in the less than ideal conditions, the conditions are best for me.  It's going to take time to adjust, but thankfully, blooming doesn't have to happen over night.