by “And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:” Matthew 6:28
Several months ago, we moved from the “Deep South” to South-Central Tennessee on top of the Cumberland Plateau. It was winter and the house we bought was covered with snow when we were house-hunting. We moved in the snow, we had pipes burst during a freeze, and we had a deer jump out and damage our car in the early Spring. It has never been a dull moment up here on the mountain!
But, being new to Tennessee, we are awed as we discover the seasons! The rugged, mountain road leading to our community and cut through solid rock, has been breath-taking after a freeze when the numerous, cascading, waterfalls running over the rock freezes and spills over these flanked sides of the road. The introduction of Spring has given us the pleasure to discover the local bird species native to this area. We have discovered rabbits and deer investigating our property. (*And, we hope will eventually be our “dinner” guests!!!) We are also discovering what was under the snow! A patch of wild Buttercups and Forsythia brightened my days awhile back as they began blooming on the dead landscape. Now, that Spring has been in full swing (and, hopefully, no more unexpected freezes), I am also discovering wild flowers along the highway. Hence, the purpose of this writing.
Our new church is about 35 minutes away. There are two routes we can take but the one we usually drive exits off of a highway. About a month ago as we took the exit and came to a stop at the bottom of the ramp, I noticed a small batch of wild daisies growing on the side of the road. Their fresh, “Spring-y” faces were such a welcomed surprise after this past winter! I thought about “the lilies of the field” and these hearty flowers truly made me smile!
The next week, they were still growing straight and tall! The following week–you guessed it, they were still strong and beautiful. I am not sure how long wild daisies continue to bloom but, sure enough, this last week, they looked as fresh as that first week! Every time we came to that intersection, I commented to my husband about how pretty they were! (I know I must have been driving him crazy to hear the same conversation Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, and again on Wednesday nights!)
As we drove home this last week after church, I began thinking more about those daisies and admired their fortitude even more! I do not have a “green thumb” like my missionary friend, Kim. (Even silk plants take a beating when under my care!). These daisies taught me several biblical principles.
First, they were blooming along side the road-not in a fancy, award-winning garden show for all to admire. As servants of the Lord, it is important to serve where God wants us. Bloom where you are planted! We can’t all be the hand, or the head.
“For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” I Corinthians 12:14-18
Serving the Lord through changing baby diapers, picking someone up for services, washing dishes after a church meal, or teaching a class in your church is just as important as standing on the platform serving through the choir or special music! Bloom where you are planted and do your best! If you have the talent to sing, teach, play an instrument, then that is a blessing. I do not have those talents but have contributed to the whole body of Christ through these other needed jobs.
Second, those daisies were growing in parched, depleted, hard ground. God does not always give us a tilled, “bed of roses” to serve in. Sometimes, our lot in life is hard! We don’t have the tools, the nourishment, nor the “platform” we would like to serve in.
“I wrote unto the churches but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.” III John, verse 9
Perhaps you may envy those who are always in the lead and everything just seems to fall into their hands. They may even treat you as second rate. Your service to the Lord may not include fancy Sunday school materials whereas another ministry has nice, colored, pre-planned materials for teaching. Maybe you go out of your way to pick someone up who seems to expect it rather than being grateful. Perhaps your church building is quite meager and the piano is old and out of tune compared to another church down the street. None of this matters! Bloom where you are planted!
Whether it is your church facilities or your home, you can serve the Lord with what you have! Our new house is a real, “fixer-upper” and far from being as nice as our last house! I don’t lament about what I had and what others I know have. I still make my house our nesting place and realize that God provided it and I can still make plenty of use out of it in serving Him. Always remember that if you have children at home, you have the added opportunity and responsibility of influencing them as you nurture and teach them about God. So, bloom where you are planted!
Third, rain or shine, those daisies lift up their heads toward the sky! They may get battered by the wind and rain or polluted by the cars waiting to turn but they stand their ground! We have had our ups and downs and some people wondered how we made it through the trying times but, just like those daisies, we keep doing what God has purposed for us. There are always others who have gone through much harder trials and tribulations. Ironically, others have the perception that we have had a glamorous life being blessed by living on several mission fields that some only dream of visiting! I don’t feel like we have had a glamorous life by any means; but because of what God has done for me, I can stand tall and give Him the praise and glory! I can bloom where I am planted! It doesn’t matter where I am on the social scale. Rich or poor, healthy or sick, happy or sad, I can still give God the glory!
“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:20-21.
What about you? Have the cares of this world battered you down? Do you envy what others have rather than being thankful for what God has blessed you with? Do you get discouraged during trials and testings? Give it all to Jesus and bloom where you are planted!
