Sometimes life doesn’t work out the way you plan. Sometimes your best effort doesn’t produce your best hopes and dreams.
Sometimes you can do everything right and it all goes wrong.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation like that?
If you haven’t there is a good chance you will…because this is not Heaven. This is Earth.
What do you do when your current reality isn’t what you thought it would be?
You make the most of it.
You roll up your sleeves and keep living. You bloom where you’re planted.
Your new reality isn’t what you had thought it would be. Even though you didn’t get the diagnosis you were hoping for…or the job…or the relationship didn’t work out. You still have a life to live…right now. You still have purpose…right now. There is still joy to be had…right now. There is still happiness to be had right where you are.
Chances are your circumstances won’t be changing soon. So until God changes your circumstances make the most of what they are.
We can waste years wishing things were different. Wishing our spouse was different instead of loving the one you have. Wishing our job was different instead of blooming where you are for this season. Wishing your loved one was still here all the while missing the opportunity to love the ones who are.
Maybe your story has taken an unexpected twist. Maybe life hasn’t turned out the way you thought it would. Maybe you still have a hard road in front of you…keep going!
You are not at the end! You may be in a bitter chapter, but your story isn’t over.
And a bitter chapter doesn’t have to mean a bitter person. Let me say that again…A bitter chapter doesn’t have to mean a bitter person.
It takes faith to believe that. It takes faith to believe that God has a plan and can bring good out of it (Romans 8:28). You can still have happiness despite what happened. Roll up your sleeves and make the most of it. Bloom where you’re planted. There is still joy to be had in the present and more joy than you can imagine in the future if you will just believe you will see the glory of God revealed.
It always helps me to read the stories of some other people of faith who went through a bitter season and came through it. These are some of my favorite. Read the entire chapter(s) to get a sense of what was going on.
Joseph – Sold into slavery, falsely accused of sexual assault, wrongly imprisoned. (Genesis 50:20)
David – The loss of his child. (2 Samuel 12:18)
Israel – Babylonian captivity for 70 years. (Jeremiah 29:5-6)
Martha & Mary – The loss of their brother. (John 11:40)
Don’t whither away…bloom where you are planted!
