Cold and rainy, yet I went and drove myself to the mall... not to shop but to do my walking exercise. I usually park in front of Penney's but this time, I decided to park at the other side of the mall and go through the back mall entrance. Lucky me! I got to park 2 spots from the blue parking for the handicapped... right straight to the doors!One round takes 17 minutes... that is, brisk walking with my short legs and no shop stopping. On my second round around the mall, I decided to stop by the hair salon and get that haircut I so long needed... done and feeling, oh so, pretty, I continued on to finish what I came to the mall for.Exhausted... but not to forget, pretty... I headed for the doors and to my car. But alas! wha?! where is my car?! It was still drizzling and I was walking back and forth from one lane to another. Oh, my new do... where is my car? Cold... frantic... almost hysterical... the Mall Police stopped by me and asked if I was looking for my car. "Yes, sir... and I am pretty sure I parked it here", was all I could mutter. "Hop in", he invited me into his police car... and so I did.He drove around, talking on his radio to report the loss, yet still being very watchful. He spotted a parked car with an unlocked trunk, quickly made a little note for the owner and proceeded to shut close the trunk. We continued to browse the other lanes when I said, "I don't even remember my plate number. Do people lose their cars in the mall?". "Oh yeah", was his quick reply. Now I am really starting to get nervous.
Lane by lane we searched... there was a red mini van... no, not mine. Next lane.... there was another red mini van... mine!!! Right across from the mall doors... the other set of doors that are exactly the same as the other doors I came out from. Despair to excitement... I thanked the security officer... his wide grin exposing some missing teeth. No room in my heart for embarrassment, just gratefulness. My car was not carnapped, thank you, God!
(The following is a talk I gave to the YFC in Detroit, edited to fit as a blog)
An ancient legend tells of a king who walked into his garden one day to find almost everything is withered and dying. After speaking to an oak near the gate, the king learned that he was troubled because he was not tall and beautiful like the pine. The pine overheard their conversation and added that she, too, was upset, for she could not bear delicious fruit like the pear tree. The pear tree heard his name and began to complain that he did not have the lovely smell of the spruce. And so it went throughout the entire garden. Near the very edge of the garden grew a little daisy. As the king approached, he noticed her bright little face, full of life. “Well, little flower,” said the monarch, “I’m glad to find that there is at least one happy face in my garden.” “Oh king,” she said, “I know I’m little, and not many people notice me, but one day I realized, that if you planted me here, you must have had a good reason. So, your majesty, I’ve decided and I’m determined to be the best little flower I can be!”
God, our King has planted a beautiful garden. Not one of us is greater than the next. Each of us is His perfection. God has a reason for creating us the way He has and has planted us in just the place he desired.
We can’t always choose where we live, and we can’t control the exact circumstances of our lives, our health, our work, or our challenges. We can, however, choose our reaction to them. In gardening terms, we can choose to bloom where we are planted. Or, we can choose to resist and mentally or verbally protest our circumstances, which only results in our unhappiness and a failure to thrive. Our reaction is our choice.
In Mark 4:30-32, we are likened to a mustard seed in God’s kingdom, we start as very small seeds… and we are expected to grow and be small no more. We are called to grow in our families, in our community, in our studies, in our jobs, and in every aspect of our lives.
God planted us here and He wants us to bloom here. He can see us right now, in whatever situation we are in, we might not understand why, but the purpose is for our good and for His glory.
God tells us, “You have gifts that I have given you, you have interests that I have placed within you, and you have Me in your hearts, so bloom where I have planted you… bloom and do the very best you can whatever it may be… grow as My child and produce good fruit that will bring glory to Me and that will serve as a witness for others.”
To bloom fully as God’s children, we must continually be watered with God’s word and love through prayer and through service.
Matthew 5:13-16 (New International Version)
Salt and Light
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Bloom where you are planted….
Theodore Roosevelt’s translation would be...
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
