Bloom Where You Are Planted

Y'all it is seriously the title of my blog! So when I was asked to speak about it how could I possibly say no? I was nervous but I think it went decently well tonight when I spoke at New Beginnings for all the Young Women and their parents of my Ward. If you're not familiar with our crazy mormon terms, that means it was a welcoming meeting to the girls turning 12 this year that will enter the teenage girl program/ministry that I help teach in my congregation at church. The theme of the evening was Bloom Where You're Planted and I wanted to document my talk for the Keags and the Rys to read one day. A little piece of my heart is in the theme and was given tonight so I hope the teenage versions of my babies read and listen one day.

When I was a junior at Klein High School it was my Bearkadette director, Mrs Starzyk that introduced me to the phrase “Bloom Where you are planted.” I loved the idea then and immediately connected it to my heart. At the time I committed to make it somewhat of a life motto, an anthem of my heart if you will. I have several of those; I’m kind of dorky like that. Well it was a good phrase and a good thought for that time in my life. But you know how we have been taught time and time again that if we make the decisions now on what we are going to do when we face temptations or hard times then it will be easier to face those questions when they come? Well many years later in my life the motto of “Bloom where you are planted” really paid off for me. In the toughest season of my life, I had already written that phrase on my heart. So all I had to do was follow it. And I was so glad that I did that I even started a blog with it as a title. Again, I’m dorky like that. So to say the theme of the night has a special place in my heart is an understatement.

Ok lets get a little technical. If we were literally to discuss flowers blooming, wherever it is they have been planted, what picture do you imagine? Because depending on our life experiences we will probably all have a very different picture. For some of us it may be a beautiful garden full of rich full flowers of every color and type planted in a orchestrated pattern. Others may think of wild flowers in a field growing every which way. Some of us may think of freshly planted young flowers, in season on perfectly mulched temple grounds. Others may even imagine a single flower breaking through concrete somewhere unexpected. But no matter what that picture in our head is, they all have one thing in common. They were all planted by the greatest Gardner possible, our Heavenly Father.

Just like He planted all those different flowers, in all those different places, to grow and bloom into every type of flower possible, he has planted each of us in a unique place and urges us to bloom. His whole purpose in planting us and sending us to earth was for us to learn and grow. He intends for each of us to grow into a very unique flower and each flower is very special to Him. He sees our ultimate potential and the beautiful flower that we can become.

He is not the type of Gardner to carelessly scatter seeds in every which direction and walk away to just hope for the best. He has planted us in just the right spot with just the right conditions and surroundings for us to best grow. Although those surroundings will change through out our lives because sometimes it will be sunny and we will receive all the rain that we need. And sometimes the conditions may be harsh and nutrients scare. But no matter what, He knows just where He planted us, just what conditions we will face and He sure loves us. Man does He love you! So being the wonderful, loving Gardner that He is, He has provided us with everything we need to truly bloom.

A flower needs 3 things to thrive. First it needs to be planted somewhere that it can spread its roots and gain nourishment in the soil. All of us have been planted in different places. But each of us is incredibly blessed with a rich soil because we have the gospel of Jesus Christ. That alone provides an abundance of food to nourish any hungry flower. But we also have a loving family, the power of prayer, the word of God in the scriptures and through his prophets, and I can testify first hand that you each have a Bishop and YW leaders that love you. These things, and this rich soil is where I hope all of you spread your roots and just take in all of that nutrition for your soul, all that food for your spirit. And as you exercise faith in all those things I know your testimony will grow deeper and deeper just like a strong flower's roots. And the stronger the roots of the flower the bigger and stronger the bloom.

A flower also needs sunshine. There is a whole scientific process of what a flowers leaves do with the sunshine, I’m sure all of you have learned about the whole cycle and I have already forgotten it’s name. But there is no science behind the gift of the Holy Ghost. If we allow Him to, live worthy of it and listen carefully, the Holy Ghost will gladly bring the sunlight into each of our lives. He brings warmth in the form of comfort and peace and sheds light on the truth we hear and the dangers we may face. This is a wonderful gift that the great Gardner has blessed us with and then urges us to lean towards its light like flowers often do. Because we know living by the spirit is such a vital piece for us to bloom.

And finally a flower needs water. Have you ever heard of our Savior being referred to as the living water? He called himself the living water when He taught the parable of the woman at the well. He taught her, and ultimately all of us, that only through Him will our thirst be quenched and we will be given everlasting life. John 4:14 reads 14 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.

Just like the flower will absolutely not survive without any water to drink, we can not fully bloom without partaking of the atonement of Jesus Christ and allowing Him to be our living water and our Savior. It is only through His atonement that we may overcome our mistakes and persevere through our harsh conditions. The only way for us to bloom to our potential is to truly thirst after a relationship with Jesus Christ, follow our His example, and let His beautiful atonement work in our lives.

Each of you beautiful young women have the incredible potential to grow into the most gorgeous flowers this world has ever seen. Even in your first sprouts of buds you are beautiful. And I know our Heavenly father has a plan for each of you that is as unique and different and important as every flower in the most beautiful garden. I am thankful that the great Gardner has provided all of us with the tools necessary to bloom where we are planted. Wherever we may find ourselves today or at any time in the future. No matter the conditions around us and the trials ahead of us, the great Gardner has provided the rich soil, the warm sunlight and the quenching water to bloom.  It is my prayer that we hunger after those things so that we can grow into the gorgeous flower He planted us to become.