Bloom Where You Are Planted

I love sunflowers. We try to plant some every year. The last couple of summers the grasshoppers have eaten them before they could flower. But this year they are beautiful.

I went out the other day to take pictures of them and had the nicest surprise. Somehow, a marigold seed had gotten in with the sunflower seeds, and at the base of a huge, very tall sunflower a tiny little marigold is blooming. It is growing next to a towering sunflower. It is so pretty. Of course, I took a picture of it, too.

Several years ago we had a pastor who had a poster that said "Bloom Where You Are Planted". If I remember correctly, it had a picture of a flower coming up in the crack of a sidewalk. I have thought about that many times through the years when I have had questions about things that have come in my life. I have wondered, what am I doing here; is this really where I'm supposed to be; what am I supposed to do now? And then I think of that poster. Bloom Where You Are Planted.

Before Jesus was crucified, He gave His disciples a final talk. In John 15:16, He told them they had not chosen Him, but He had chosen them and appointed them to bear fruit. The Amplified Version of the Bible also says, "I have planted you" for "I have appointed you". As Christians, we believe nothing happens without God's approval. Even if it is bad (bad things do happen to Christians), it had to go through God before it came to us. Wherever we are or whatever our circumstances, we are to bear fruit. A plant has to bloom before it can bear fruit. Therefore, we are to bloom where we are planted.

The little marigold will bear seed so that future plants will grow. It is not intimidated by the gigantic plants growing all around it. It is doing exactly what it was created to do.  It is blooming where it was planted.

God gave me an object lesson that day. Bloom Where I Am Planted.

The Christmas Rocket

All of my family, except my oldest grandson, went to Houston for Christmas. (He had to stay home and work.) There were 17 of us at my oldest daughter's home.

One of my grandsons, who lives in a semi-rural area of Oklahoma, got a rocket for Christmas. Of course, he took it to Houston with him. It was decided to take the rocket to a large church parking lot and launch it. This parking lot is next to a very busy four-lane street. All 17 of us climbed in three vehicles and headed for the parking lot.

The weather was cold, cloudy and a light mist was falling. There was some assembly required with the rocket. We sat in our vehicles waiting for the rocket to be prepared for take-off. Finally, the big moment came. Everyone counted down from ten and the rocket was sent in to the sky. It went high, the parachute opened, and it floated back down to the parking lot; just like it was supposed to do. It was fun, but you must remember we are in the large city of Houston.

Shortly after the rocket returned to earth, we hear police sirens. As everyone tried to act normal (We are in a church parking lot with three cars, 17 people, and it's cold and rainy. What's not normal about that?), we watched the police car go on by to a a real emergency, I'm sure.

Then my son-in-law decides the rocket needs more power so that it will go higher. By this time, I'm thinking this does not sound like a good idea. But they put a larger whatever it is you use on the rocket. About the time we all start the count-down, another police car is coming, but this time with no sirens. We all start to act "normal" again. (It may have helped that the kids were on skate boards.) The police car went by. The count-down started. And the rocket was launched.

It went across the four-lane street and so high in the clouds we could not see it. And then it emerged from the clouds headed straight down to the street. I can honestly say I thought I was going to see a tragedy and my whole family would be thrown in jail for causing it. From that moment on, everything happened in slow motion.

About the time it looked like the rocket would fall all the way to the ground, the parachute popped open, a slight breeze caught it and the rocket slowly landed in the parking lot. My son-in-law and grandson hurriedly picked up all the pieces and parts that were scattered, we all jumped in the three vehicles and went to the house as quickly as possible.

At the house, there was much discussion about the rocket launch. The kids thought it was the greatest! The adults knew God was very good to us that day.

In case you need to know, rockets are not supposed to be launched in big cities. But our family now has a whole new meaning for the name "Houston Rockets".