This Place I’m Not Enjoying

For five years straight there was no women’s church program that was not titled “Bloom Where You’re Planted”. It was the 80’s. The canvas tote bag they handed out as a freebie had the picture of a plant on it.

Gag me with a maggot.

(Here I digress to take a poll. My husband says it’s “gag me with a spoon”, but I say maggot. He says only people from Wyoming would say that.)

As I washed dishes this afternoon, that old saying about where to bloom came to mind, and then –oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.

The Spirit said, That’s what you need to do -bloom right here where I’ve planted you. 

The Lord wasn’t really going to use some girly expression I heard in the 80’s to encourage me now. I mean, it’s one thing to enjoy listening to Huey Lewis over the Taco Bell speakers with that man of mine, but this?

I thought of the woman who took foam shoulder pads out of a can and tucked them into her blazer –created a perfect banana curl of her bangs –and then stuck two very large, round plastic earrings through the holes in her ears. She is the one who was brave enough to try to encourage other women. What do you think of calling the women’s retreat “Bloom Where You’re Planted”? 

I’m not enjoying the challenging circumstances I’m in right now.

But I’m here –so bloom it is. Thanks, 80’s lady.

(Sorry, no free tote bag with this blog post.)

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord… (Ephesians 6:7 NIV)