Bloom

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I’ve always loved the phrase, “Bloom where you’re planted.” It’s full of hope and it makes me smile.

Remember the story of Naomi? The book of Ruth opens with this woman grieving deeply over the loss of her husband and sons. All she has left is her two daughter-in-laws. In her love and concern for their futures, she tearfully implores them to return to their homeland, where she’s convinced their chances for a brighter tomorrow reside. As far as her own future, however, she remains broken and hopeless as she tells them, “…the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” (Ruth1:13b) Even after Ruth chose to stay with her she remained unconsolable. They traveled to Naomi’s hometown and when the women there saw them coming they were excited. They asked, “Is this Naomi?” to which she replied, “Do not call me Naomi (which means “pleasant”), call me Mara (which means “bitter”), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” (Ruth 1:20) She goes on to say that when she had left Bethlehem to follow her husband her future was hopeful, but now she was returning empty from God’s affliction.

As a bride-to-be, Naomi probably envisioned her life as one being settled in one place, raising a family, and watching generations grow up and bloom all around her. I imagine she took the seeds of all she had learned growing up in her father’s house and planted them in the rich soil of her new home. How many seasons of blooms did she enjoy? Likely many if she watched her sons grow up and get married.

But one day tragedy struck and the unexpected happened. Violence ravished the landscape of her life, ripping her roots from the soil of everything she had meticulously cultivated over the years. In an instant it was all gone. Imagine the shock - the grief - the heartache.

Transplanting is necessary.

Just as the Bible tells us there are times and seasons for everything in this life, we know there are times when God transplants us.

Personally, I like the fact that we’ve lived in the same place for several decades. I grew up in the military and by the time we got married and moved here I had moved 13 times. I can remember telling John, “I really want to be from somewhere.”

If you’ve ever worked a flower bed you know how messy and ugly everything looks when you have to get in there and thin things out. It’s hard because sometimes everything looks picture perfect, but you know that if you don’t get in there and work that bed the plants are going to crowd and choke themselves out of a space to flourish.

The same thing happens to us. Seasons change and because God is the Master Gardener, He knows what needs to take place in each one (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) in order for the soil of our hearts to be cultivated and nourished into the blooms that show off His radiance in our lives.

Do you know what I love about Naomi’s story - my favorite part? It’s at the end of the book, when Ruth gives birth to a son and the women proclaim to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age…” (Ruth 4:14-15) This heartbroken widow, who felt like she was too old to bloom was filled with hope after God transplanted her.

Although we have enjoyed many seasons of life rooted in this location, the landscape continues to change with every season. My young self was never a fan of change, but I have learned (am still learning) to let God have His way with the soil. It’s very messy at times, as He digs in and separates me from the things I want to hold onto, but He always reminds me that while I may currently be “from somewhere,” I have not yet reached my final destination. In my forever home He will root me in a garden more beautiful than I can even imagine. And the flowers there never stop blooming where they are planted.

(Origin: While the sentiment is clear, "Bloom where you're planted." does not come from Scripture. It was derived from something a bishop wrote in the 16th century... “Truly charity has no limit; for the love of God has been poured into our hearts by His Spirit dwelling in each one of us, calling us to a life of devotion and inviting us to BLOOM in the garden WHERE He has PLANTED and directing us to radiate the beauty and spread the fragrance of His Providence.”)