Ahhh... this would be one happy girl if she could just sing for a lifetime! I sang a Twila Paris song called How Beautiful. It is a very moving song that anytime I have sung it (praying for the audience to hear the message), tears literally come to the eyes of folks sitting in the crowd.
The speaker for the event was Steve Arnold, Operator of the local Chick-Fil-A. One of the last things that he said stuck with me. After he talked about his trials and difficulties reaching the place where God was calling him to be, he planted. He reminded us of something his mother always told him. "Bloom where you are planted". I would like to take it a step further and say "Bloom where God planted you".
I want to tell a story about a tree. This tree is called the survivor tree. Everyone remembers the horrific terrorist attacks on our country on September 11, 2001. We all remember where we were. It was massively destructive what happened that day and magnitude of the mess that was left to be cleaned up was overwhelming. In the midst of such destruction and disparage rose a tree. This tree was planted in 1970 in the original plaza and was only 8 feet tall when the towers fell. It was burned and severely scarred, yet, when it was discovered beneath the rubble, it had new growth. The tree was excavated and moved off sight to see if it would continue to grow and survive. The tree was thriving until Hurricane Irene came and blew the tree over and pulled its roots from the ground. The tree was replanted once again in hopes of survival.
After years of tender, lovin', care, the tree was finally moved back to New York City, where it was planted in the plaza amongst the other new trees.
This tree is has scars that will always remain, but it is a survivor and a reminder of hope in the darkness. This tree bloomed where it was planted despite the odds against it.
We all must bloom where we are planted even when our circumstances are ugly. Tie into the eye doctor post - weeding is a critical part of survival. We are all on this journey of life together. We all have hurts and joys along the way. Part of our purpose on this earth is to carry each others burdens and how can we ever do that if we don't share with each other what those burdens are? Life is MeSsY! I make no bones about it. What I do know is that God gave me a journey that I never expected to be "mine". I have plenty of scars and healing yet to do from many things in my life. I also know, as I have said in a post in the past:
"I know and I believe that my God works for the good of those who love him. I believe that he has plans to prosper me and Wade and not to harm us. I believe he has a plan for me and most of the time the picture he has for me is too big for me to understand. I believe he is holding my head up in his hands when I am too weak, too tired, too sad to hold it up on my own. I believe he will sustain me and Wade through this storm and he knows what he is doing.
I believe he is big enough for my tears, my anger, my annoyance, my disappointment and he is bigger than any grief I have experienced and anything I have yet to experience."
I believe he is big enough for my tears, my anger, my annoyance, my disappointment and he is bigger than any grief I have experienced and anything I have yet to experience."
I may kick and scream along the way, but Jesus knows my heart anyway. I am me, and he loves every ounce.
Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
He will make a survivor tree of us all, if we let him. I think I will continue my weeding so I can bloom right where God planted me.
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