Bloom Where God Plants You

I used to see this saying everywhere when I was younger...around college-age..."bloom where God plants you.." It made NO sense to me. My mom always thought that was funny. "That is perfect for you! And you don't get it?" Nope. Not a clue. She tried to explain that it meant we are right where God wants us, and if we are content with that, we will bloom and blossom and grow in His best for us. Also, not to wish you were somewhere else. Or want what you don't have. Which, as I stated before, was always a weakness of mine.

That being said, the point of this blog is cliches. Spriritual cliches. Christianese. The way a lot of Christians talk. Especially in churches. I've never been a real "Praise God!!" type of person. I didn't grow up in a church that said those type of things...but even when I started going to churches like that, it seemed very fake to me. OK I believe there are a few people who naturally talk like that, and MEAN it. That's totally cool. But when I hear fake sing-songy voices saying "oh that's WONDERFUL!! Praise the LORD! Thank You JESUS!!" well.....I'm wondering, do they honestly say these things from their heart, or are they trying to sound "spiritual" and puffed-up? I honestly think that new Christians have so much to learn, and maybe they think they're SUPPOSED to talk that way. And if they don't talk that way, they're not godly enough. Oh that saddens me. I'm here to say, that is NOT TRUE. It is possible to love Jesus with all your heart, live only for Him, and never utter a "Praise God" for weeks upon end. :) Christ died to give us freedom, along with salvation, of course. And He destroyed the barriers between us & God, so we could be ourselves with Him, to come to Him in our broken reality. I guess it all ties in with the "acting perfect" thing. We are not talking to impress people, we are called to speak words of truth that will build up & encourage. REAL words of truth, not feel-good, sound-good cliches with no depth that don't help at all. We are speaking TO other people, to bless THEM, not ourselves. Once again, just be real. Everyone is different. Speak in a language people can relate to. Speak the WORD to them, and then show them how it applies to their life...your real struggles & how God has ministered to you. I've been a Christian my whole life. My relationship with God is REAL. Good, bad, AND ugly. I don't always address Him as "Father God...Most Holy One of Israel...Lord God my Savior....I praise You...I thank You...I worship You...You are so good...." He knows these things already. And He knows I know them. He wants me to bring Him my HEART, the nitty-gritty stuff, the deep-down junk, my real self, warts & all. So that's how I talk to Him..."Lord, help me...show me....this hurts.....what's going on here...I don't understand...I'm not happy with this...You've disappointed me...I love you so much, but I don't get it...what are you doing??" My Lord, yes. My Savior, yes. But my Friend, my Father, my Brother, My Lover? Oh most definitely! REAL. Honest. Open. Safe. But most of all...real. So this is how I talk to Him. And when I pray even in a group setting, I speak from my heart. Personal. No fancy words, no spiritual phrases, nothing to impress those around me. Forgive me, but that is another pet peeve of mine. Talk to HIM, not anyone else. Others in the room should never matter. Prayer is deeply personal between you and God. It's not the time for fanciful phrases. "Wow that was a great prayer!"...wait a minute...doesn't that sound funny and not right somehow? It should. People were impressed...but was God? We shouldn't even be seeking His approval when we pray. He can't love us any more than He already does. We already have His approval. He wants our HEART, our communication...honest...open. No one else matters in that moment. Just us and Him. I believe people need to SEE what that real kind of relationship with Jesus looks like. Or there are countless people who will never feel "good enough" or "spiritual enough" to ever talk to Him or measure up to others in the church, who they perceive as "spiritual" and have it all together. We owe it to each other to drop the pretenses & be REAL.

I understand that I may strike a nerve with all this. But I've spent a few years observing God's people, and I honestly don't believe there's much of this reality out there. People are too afraid to speak the truth. But I really have nothing to lose. And I hope it lets some people off the hook so they can relax & enjoy their relationship with God. :)

Oh...and "bloom where God plants you"...? It IS true.....you really should.... ;)