What does it mean to “Bloom where you are planted”? You’ve no doubt heard this expression; in fact, some people think it is in the Bible. No, this saying is not found in the Bible, but the concept it teaches is very biblical.

It begins with the word “bloom” which is a verb—an action word—and it implies that you have to be intentional about this. Blooming means producing something beautiful. So, the first word—bloom—is a directive, something you must do.

Then it says, “where you are.” Do you often have the attitude that you would do so well if only you were in other circumstances? A different job, a better house, a more-understanding mate, better- behaved children, enough money, better health—just give you better circumstances, solve some of your problems, and then you can bloom. Instead of “Bloom where you are planted,” you think, “Put me in better soil and then I’ll bloom!”

Some years ago a good friend was planted in a job where some of her coworkers were unfriendly and prejudicial toward her. Instead of lowering herself to their level, or being angry, or vengeful, after much prayer, God led her to begin what she called “Project Love,” intentionally inviting these coworkers to have lunch with her, and in that way breaking down the barriers between them. It wasn’t long before these same people got to know my friend, saw in her the love of Jesus, and soon came to appreciate her and that was the beginning of some long and good friendships. She bloomed where she was.

And the last word in this saying is “planted.” Bloom where you are planted. When something is planted, it is placed there intentionally, right? It’s not just a wild flower springing up on a mountainside. Someone has gone to the trouble of preparing a spot, a place, where this seed can be planted. Being planted implies that something outside of itself had a purpose for putting that plant in that place.

You know, where you are now is where God has planted you. Oh, there may have been all kinds of circumstances, good and bad, that have brought you to the spot where you are now planted, but God has this marvelous way of taking us where we are and preparing the soil for us even there, so that we can bloom where we are planted.

Would you pause long enough to just thank God for where you are planted? I know, it could be a tough place, but the Bible says to be thankful in all circumstances, so by faith just thank God for where he has planted you and then ask him to help you bloom in that place.

I wonder if you know where this is found in the Bible? “Bloom where you are planted.” Is it in the Psalms, or maybe Jesus said it? Do you know? Well, the truth is, you won’t find that exact phrase in the Bible, but you will find the principle it teaches very clearly given in Scripture.

When the Apostle Paul said we should learn to be content no matter what our circumstances, he was saying “Bloom where you are planted.” When Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow would take care of itself, he was saying “Bloom where you are planted.” In writing to the Corinthian Christians, Paul said, “Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them” (1 Corinthians 7:17). He was admonishing those new believers to bloom where they were planted.

Recently I had an opportunity to talk to a senior citizen, Betty, in her late 80’s, who is blooming where she is planted. Betty is a widow and a mom of three grown children and lots of grandchildren. She is a Jesus-lover from way back, and at this stage in her life, she is finding creative ways to reach out to others with the love of Jesus.

Betty’s husband died after a very long illness where she was his main caregiver. So she spent many years simply taking care of his needs. Now that she lives alone and is still driving, she has found a way to continue to share the love of Jesus with others. She goes to the grocery store every day. She said, “That way I don’t have heavy bags to carry if I just get a few things each day. And then, I just go up and down the aisles of the store, to see who God puts in my path that day.”

Betty uses her daily trips to the grocery store as a way to meet people, to offer encouragement, to pray for people, and to let them know that Jesus loves them. Almost every day she has an opportunity to speak to someone—mostly strangers—and simply offer a moment of caring and concern. She has story after story of the people she has met in this way, and how blessed she is to have this ministry.

Betty didn’t complain about the effects of growing older, or the fact that she was alone now, or the aches and pains that occur as you age. She is just blooming where she is, bringing joy and a ray of hope to many people who just happen to shop for groceries where she does.

We’re living in a time of panic, aren’t we? We might call it a Pandemic Panic! And while we all hope it will run its course very soon, we simply don’t know. It seems as though nobody knows—except of course, our Omnipotent God. So, in the midst of all this, I just thought it might be a good idea to remind us who are Christ followers that we have the secret to peace in the midst of panic.

Let me begin by making it clear I’m not saying that because we’re Christians, we should just sail through these panicky days without missing a beat, no stress, no worries. Some of you have no doubt personally struggled with this disease and its variants or you’ve had people very close to you who have struggled, and some even died as a result. We don’t make light of it at all. And we’ve all had to deal with the loss of freedom, the restrictions, the masks and mandates, and a myriad other situations resulting from this pandemic.

But since it is true that we have peace in the person of Jesus Christ—for he is our peace—and since it is true that he has given his peace to us as our own unique possession, then shouldn’t it be true that as Christ-followers, we should demonstrate peace in the midst of this panic? Let me remind you:

Ephesians 2:14a: “For he himself is our peace,”

John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Notice that Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” He gave you peace—his peace that is totally different and infinitely better than any peace the world tries to give you. But you have a part in this, right? It’s that “do not” part. So, how “do you not” let your heart be troubled or afraid?

The battle is, of course, in your mind—in your thoughts. This takes us back to that basic Christian discipline which is absolutely vital in our Christian walk, based on 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Notice again that in order to think like we should think, we must “take captive” wrong thoughts. So, as we deal with the lack of peace in our lives, what we are really dealing with is the lack of peace in our minds. And that happens because we allow our hearts to be troubled and afraid because we don’t take wrong thoughts captive. We don’t insist that our thoughts must be obedient to Christ. Nobody can do that for you; you are the only one who can decide to change your thought life.

What does that look like on a daily, thought-by-thought basis? Let me give you a hypothetical example:

You’ve just heard from a good friend who you were with two days ago that she wasn’t feeling so good today, so she got a test to see if it’s COVID. She won’t know until tomorrow, but she just wanted you to be aware that she might have the disease. What is your response?

Well, if you’re like me, your first thought is “Oh, no! I don’t want that disease. I hope she doesn’t have it! I hope I don’t get it.” And your heart beats a little faster as your mind goes to the possibilities of what could be true: your friend has COVID and she has exposed you to it. You start to think of all the plans that you will have to change if you’re sick or just quarantined. You think of other people who have been around you for those two days and worry if they might catch it from you. Maybe you wonder how in the world you can isolate from your family or from your job. And how long will you be quarantined?

Panic drives out peace instantly and it all happens in your thoughts. In this example, you allow your thoughts to imagine the worse before you have any confirmation that there is a problem. Who hasn’t done that? Who doesn’t still do it?

Does witnessing on the job scare you to death? Many Christians go undercover because they have the idea that witnessing means carrying large Bibles to work everyday, grabbing people by the shirt collar, cornering them in the lunch room, and ramming the four spiritual laws down their throat.

That's not the way Jesus witnessed and it certainly is not an effective way for us, either. Let me suggest three things that all of us can do on our jobs as a witness:

First, be joyful. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that most people you work with don't know much joy in their lives. Life is a struggle for them. You hear lots of complaining, and negative attitudes are everywhere. If you enter that scene with real joy in your life, it is the most powerful witness you can have.

A second way we can all witness, no matter what kind of situation we're in, is to do quality work. The Bible tells us to do what our hands have found to do with all our hearts. We are reminded that we will be accountable to the Lord for the work we do for our employer. We have a much higher manager to report to than our co-workers who are not believers. Therefore, quality work, extra-mile effort, should be a trademark of a Christian in the working world.

And the third thing we can all do is to pray. Do you pray earnestly for the people you deal with on your job—co-workers, managers, customers? Be specific and pray for them as individuals, calling them by name. Ask God to intervene in the problem relationships of your workplace. Pray for those in authority, that they'll do their jobs with integrity and efficiency.

We need to develop relationships with the people on our jobs as much as possible. Someone asked me how far we should go in socializing with our co-workers. My answer was "As far as you can without compromising your beliefs and principles.” Jesus socialized with the most sinful people of his day. By establishing relationships and showing that you care about them as individuals, you will earn your right to be heard. And someday you may have the opportunity to share in a more direct way.

First Peter 3:15 tells us to always be ready to give an answer to everyone that asks us to give an account for the hope that is in us, with gentleness and reverence. If your life consistently witnesses in these three ways, it won't be long before you will have an opportunity to give an account for the hope that is in you.

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Do you let it be known on your job that you're a Christian? Perhaps you worry that if you're very open about your faith, you will have to take some ethical stands that could be harmful to your career or your relationships.

I have a good friend who was a partner in a prominent large law firm in New York. At one point he was dealing with another law firm which was doing some very unethical things. He, on the other hand, refused to be a part of it and took a stand against it. While it caused some discomfort and took some courage on his part, he told me that eventually that law firm had caused its client to go into bankruptcy because of its unethical practices, many had lost their jobs and the law firm was disgraced. He said, "You know, Mary, running your career or business by Christian principles really pays off in the long run.” And he's right!

However, our decision to stand for what we believe to be right should never be based on the consequences. We do the right thing because we want to be obedient to our Lord and Savior and trust him for the consequences.

Another reason we tend to be undercover Christians is that we fear failing. Maybe you lost your temper with a co-worker recently, or you told a lie to your manager and your conscience hasn't stopped bothering you. You think you could never be a witness for Jesus since you know you've failed and others know you've failed and what's more, you may fail again.

Let me tell you that sometimes the greatest witness we can have is to own up to our failures, confess and make restitution where necessary, but share that God is a forgiving and restoring God. Don't you know that everybody else struggles with failure too? And if they're not a Christian, they don't have any good way to deal with the guilt.

I can remember when God used a specific failure on my part to help a struggling Christian co-worker understand that God would forgive and restore him when he failed. I really blew it in front of him, and I didn't want to go back in that office. But God clearly told me to go back and be very honest about my failure, which is what I did. Obviously it would have been better had I not failed, but God is great enough to use even our failures. Failure or fear of failure is not a legitimate excuse for being an undercover Christian.

Did you know that a lot of Christians operate undercover? Unfortunately that is often true. Some try to keep people from knowing that they are Christ-followers, or they don't take advantage of the opportunities that come their way to share their faith. Why not?

One major reason is the fear of rejection. You know, this fear in our minds is greatly overblown, to begin with. Few Christians really experience severe rejection from co-workers and management because of Christian beliefs and principles. Oh, we may be misunderstood and not always included in activities, but those are very small rejections, as a rule. More often than not, our Christian witness encourages other people and builds bridges rather than creating conflict.

Then we know that fear is always of our enemy and not of the Lord, so we know as soon as we fear something, that our faith needs some serious repair work. If God is for us, Paul wrote to the Romans, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) And Jesus said, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

Another reason we go undercover is because our culture sends the message that religious topics are not appropriate or legal. We need to realize that talking about our belief in Christ and our commitment to him is not breaking a law and we should never be intimidated by this mindset.

For example, if it is your habit to ask a blessing before a meal, then do it on the job. Don't hesitate to tell someone you'll pray for them. If God has answered a prayer, why can't you report your good news and give credit where credit is due? Don't be intimidated by the world's message that God and Jesus are talked about only in churches and the privacy of your home.

If Christ has set you free, how can you not speak of it? When Peter and John were told by those in power not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. They replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

We need more Christians coming out from under cover who are bold to say what Christ has done in their lives. Nobody can deny your testimony. They can say they don't believe the Bible or they don't believe that Christ is the only way to God. But they can't tell you that what has happened to you didn't happen!

Are you an undercover Christian? Be honest, now; would it be a shock to your co-workers or acquaintances if you told them you were a disciple of Jesus Christ?

For many years I was an undercover Christian. It would have been very difficult to spot any differences in me and everyone else around me. In fact, I didn't want anybody to spot the differences. I didn't want to stick out in a crowd and be a fifth wheel and look and act different. Why is it that we often tend to be undercover Christians? Let me suggest some reasons:

First, being accepted by people is more important to us than anything else. That's one reason many never let anyone know they're a Christian. After all, being born again has gotten some bad press in the last years; most people think of a born-again person as a quirk or a little weird. So, because we fear rejection or persecution, we go undercover.

Second, we're intimidated by the cultural attitudes all around us. Separation of church and state has been drummed into our minds by the media so that we start to think we're breaking a law to mention the name of Jesus in secular environments.

Third, we don't want to do our career or relationships any damage because of Christian ethical standards. After all, if we let it be known that we are Christians, then we'll be obligated to live up to high ethical standards. That can cause us to have to take stands that may not be popular or understood.

Fourth, we know our lives don't measure up to Christian principles, and we're ashamed to say we're Christians.

Fifth, we don't know how to witness to people and the very idea scares us to death. How can we witness on the job anyway? Won't that mean we'll have to become religious pests, handing out tracts and quoting Scripture all the time? The thought leaves us scared to death.

Can you identify with some of those? Undercover Christianity is a major problem in the church today.

Why do you work, and why do you have the particular job you have? Do you view your job as simply a means of putting bread on your table so you can do what you want to do with the rest of your time? Do you work just because you have to earn a living?

I entered the working world out of necessity. Oh, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it at times. But at first I never saw it as anything but an acceptable way to pay the bills and allow me to have the things I needed and wanted.

What I discovered about myself—and what I find true about many Christians in the working world—is that we tend to divide our lives into two categories: sacred and secular. Sacred includes going to church, studying the Bible occasionally, prayer, fellowshipping with other believers, doing good things for people, etc. Secular includes our jobs, cleaning the house, fixing the car, shopping, etc. Some of our activities seem sacred or religious to us, while others seem to have little connection with God and the Bible.

But, you know, it's a huge mistake on our part to divide our worlds like that. When we see our lives in sacred and secular categories, we often find that our effectiveness as a witness for Jesus Christ is greatly diminished on our job; we find it easy to be an undercover Christian.

Have you ever thought of this: God has designed work as the common denominator for the Christian and non-Christian, and the job is the place where the Christian must meet the non-Christian world. This is no accident. God has planned it that way! Many of us would retreat into our sheltered worlds and avoid any confrontation with unbelievers if we weren't pushed into it because we have to work.

Jesus said he has sent us into the world. None of us is exempted from this. And where is your world into which you are sent? A large part of it is your working world, whether that world is an office or a retail store or a hospital or a factory. That is the world into which you are sent.

Now, the question is, are you there like an undercover Christian, hoping no one finds out that you are one of those “fanatics”? Or afraid to speak up when you have an opportunity? Unfortunately our working worlds are full of undercover Christians, having no impact for Jesus Christ on their worlds. Why are we often ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Why aren't we bold and courageous to tell of our relationship with the Lord and share the good news with others?

As Fran arrives at her office this Tuesday, she just sits down and logs in to her computer when her co-worker walks in, shutting the door behind him. This signals to Fran that something is up, but what?

“Hi, John,” Fran says, “have a seat. What’s up?”

“Yeah, thanks, Fran. Well,” John begins, “this is kinda touchy and I need to ask you to keep this between you and me if you don’t mind—okay?”

“Wow, sounds serious. What is it?” Fran asks.

“Well, you know that proposal you helped me with last week for that commercial real estate company? Well, after you helped me figure out what the bid should be, my boss thought my numbers were too high. So, he told me to cut them by thirty percent because he said we really needed some new accounts to make our numbers this quarter,” John said.

“Goodness!” Fran says. “That’s a huge cut. So, did your manager tell you that the company would support your reduced numbers and you could do the work for those numbers?”

“No, just the opposite. My boss didn’t clear this with anyone else. He said we could come up with some excuses afterwards to explain why we had to raise our prices, but we just had to win this account,” John explains.

“Well, I’m sure the reason he didn’t get it approved is because he knew he wouldn’t get it approved. We trimmed those numbers as much as possible and he knew it,” Fran responds. “Did you agree to do it, John? Tell me you didn’t.”

John hung his head and got very quiet. “I had to, Fran. What could I do? He said if I wasn’t willing to cut the numbers, he’d give the account to someone else. After all I did to get them to let us bid on their account—I wasn’t going to let that happen,” John replied.

“And you’ve already given them that proposal?” Fran asks.

“No, but the presentation is tomorrow and I am really worried. My boss wants to go with me—he’s afraid I will lose the account, I guess. I know this is wrong and it will backfire, but now I just feel trapped. That’s why I wanted to ask you what I should do?”

Fran pauses to take this in. Why does John want her input on this? She recognizes this could get pretty risky, so she quietly sends up an emergency prayer, “Lord, what do you want me to say? Please give me wisdom.”

“John, why did you think I could help you with this? I’m just curious. . .” Fran asks.

“Well, because you are the one person here that I know would do the right thing. . . I mean, you seem to always be confident of what is right and what is not, and I just thought maybe you would have a suggestion of how I could somehow change my boss’s mind and still not lose this account. I mean, I know you’re a really religious person so. . . well, that’s why I asked you.”

Fran thinks about that a moment. She figures this is a time to speak truth in love—in kindness—and not to be afraid of the consequences.

“Well, thanks for that, John. I don’t think of myself as religious so much as I’m just a Christ-follower and I really try to do what Jesus would want me to do. John, first, let me ask you this: Do you think you could get the account with the right numbers?” Fran asks.

“I really think so,” John says. “You and I talked about it and we both felt we were giving them an exceptional value for their project. I think I could sell it honestly, but now—now I don’t know.”

“Okay, well you’ve asked my opinion or advice, so I’ll tell you what I would do if I were in your shoes and then you have to decide if you’re willing to do it. Fair enough?” Fran asks. John nods and she continues. “Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do, John. It pretty much is that simple. So, you have to decide if you’re willing to stand up for what you believe is the right thing. As you have noted, you believe your original proposal is accurate and...

A prayer I often pray for my extended family—the young people coming up behind us—is that they will walk worthy of the Lord; walk worthy of their heritage and the truth they’ve been taught from God’s Word.

Walking worthy of the Lord is evidenced in our lives especially when things are not easy. You are probably familiar with the term “playing hurt,” which is a description of an athlete who gets back in the game and gives it his or her best, even though they are hurt or injured. Well, as Christ-followers who desire to walk worthy of the Lord, there are times when we have to “play hurt.”

What do you want to do when you've been hurt? Suppose someone has trampled on your feelings or been very cruel to you. If you’re like me, it makes you want to go to the sidelines and lick your wounds, doesn't it? It throws you into a pity-party, and your first reaction is to walk out of the game and say, "Forget it. Who needs this!"

But walking worthy of the Lord would motivate you to “play hurt”—to hold your tongue, refuse to indulge in self-pity, and continue to stay in the game. Jesus is looking for people with perseverance; people who play in spite of the pain; people who stay in the game even though they might want to go sit on the bench for awhile.

While in prison for preaching the Gospel, the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus: “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1). He defined himself not as a prisoner of the Romans, but a prisoner for the Lord. He walked worthy of his calling under the worst kind of circumstances.

Can you think of any effective servant of God who hasn't had to play hurt? I can't. Are you hurt today? If that describes you, are you going to go sit on the sidelines and lick your wounds, or will you choose to walk worthy of the Lord? Ask God to give you the grace and strength to play hurt, so that you can keep on keepin' on for Jesus.

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