Dandelions or Roses?

“If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower,

and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.”

- Author Unknown

What a beautiful weekend! Saturday I enjoyed the sunshine and warm temps here in Colorado. I had some errands to run and everywhere I went, shops were filled with amazing garden plants and flowers. I love the sweet smell and lovely colors of the blooms.... oh, if only I had a green thumb! But, I am at peace with the fact that I have never been, and probably never will be a gardner. So on my weekends, as I run my errands, I occasionally stop and snap a few pics of the “lovelies”... well-tended by others.

As Christians, we can find the same peace in the realization that God has called us to use our own individual, unique gifts to serve Him in ways that come natural, rather than constantly trying to carry out a calling that was meant for someone else. The words of 1 Corinthians 7:7, “...each man has his own gift from God’ one has this gift, another has that” and verse 24, “Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to,” can be interpreted to mean that we need to "Bloom where we are planted."

According to Joel Osteen, “Too many people today are living negative and discouraged because they don't like where they are in life. But in order to see change and see God open up new doors, the key is to bloom right where you're planted. By blooming where you are planted, you'll not only live your life happy and enjoy your life more, but you're sowing a seed for God to take you where He wants you to go.”

Below is a copy of a poem that I keep posted up at home. It is a reminder that God has chosen me to be just who I am.... a work in process, but never the less... created by the Master Gardner.

God’s Bouquet

- Author Unknown

You must bloom where you are planted
In the garden we call life,
And bring some special beauty to

Each corner where there’s strife.

Perhaps you’re but a dandelion

Wishing you were a rose,

But in this place of growing things

You’re the one God chose.

It’s up to you to finish what
The good Lord has begun,

By growing just the way you should

And face the rising sun.

There’s room for you if you but choose,

In a glorious array

Of beauty from God’s garden,

That He’ll add to His bouquet.

This week, take time to stop and smell the roses... and don’t forget to bloom where you are planted! Remember, we are all petals of the same flower in God’s beautiful bouquet.

God’s Peace, Donna Weaver

“God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone,

but on trees, and flowers, and clouds, and stars.”

- Martin Luther