Bloom Where You're Planted

Have you ever felt stuck?

As if you are dying a spiritual death and cannot seem to move forward?

Do not be discouraged, because God is with you. He will raise you up again as long as you continue to feed on His word and look to Him (the Son) for light. As John 8:12 reminds us, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Keep trusting in God and draw from the fountain of life. In John 4:14 and 7:38, we are told, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life,” and "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

A year ago, a friend gave me a beautiful orchid plant. The plant bloomed day after day, month after month. I was careful to water the plant as instructed. I am known for killing plants, but I really love orchids, so I took good care of it. After a while, it went dormant. Every time I attempted to throw it out, the Spirit of God told me not to. I had thrown out orchids before when they were in that state because I thought they were dead, but this time, the Spirit would not allow me to throw it out. Instead, I faithfully watered it.

After several months of dormancy, the orchid began showing signs of life again. Bulbs began to appear on it, and within a week, they opened into beautiful flowers again. My heart was overjoyed. One of the things I noticed about the flowers is that they turned toward the light. This was an object lesson, as my friend—who I shared the picture with—confirmed: when one wants to grow and bloom, turn to the SON, the Light of the world.

My friend also reminded me not to throw plants and people out, even when they appear dead or dying. That is the time to nurture them, just as Jesus does for us. As John 14:6 says, “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” My friend added, “He can resurrect anything and anyone!”

This story and object lesson remind me of the song, "He Didn’t Throw the Clay Away.”

The video at https://youtu.be/6JDZ_z1TMTg?si=y1T2mKZfkmXWyrTO features the Foster Triplets performing the song "He Didn’t Throw the Clay Away." Their harmonies are heartfelt as they sing about God’s forgiveness and grace, conveying the message that God does not abandon us when we make mistakes but helps us to start anew. The video is simple yet profound, with the triplets sharing a message of hope and redemption.

This is an old song that has never lost its convicting power. Our God bears with us, cleanses and fashions us in His likeness after we are broken. Like a potter who molds the clay, so our loving Lord fixes what others would throw away...

What a loving God! Hallelujah!

• Submitted by VM