Bloom Where You Are Planted

A lot has happened since I last talked to you all at National Convention! Summer has come and gone, and school has well begun. Many of us have experienced life changing weeks at alumni events across the nation! And just think, we are right around the corner from the start of State Class season, eeek!

You are reading this because we share a common passion…TeenPact. One of the most significant distinctives of TeenPact is the core belief in the ability of young people to be leaders. At State Class, this might look like being the first volunteer to pray during prayer walks, offering to bring in someone else’s plate after dinner, or speaking for a cause you strongly support.

But here’s my question: what happens outside of TeenPact?

We go home. Over the past few months, we have all gotten back into the swing of our routine, weekly activities (whether that be homework, sports, youth group, co-op, choir, drama, speech and debate, or fill in the blank). TeenPact can feel so far away. In 1 Corinthians, God tells us to bloom where we are planted. God has planted you where you are for a reason, and ultimately, that is to lead your peers closer to Him.

That thought hit me hard recently. God has called ME to be a LEADER where I am planted. I don’t have to wait until I am the ‘cool kid.’ I don’t have to wait until I am given a title. And I don’t have to wait until I am given a stage. The fact is, God has already given us our stage. It is waiting for you. So, I want to challenge you to take advantage of this opportunity. Lead where you are planted right now in your life…make an IMPACT, not just an impression!

As I was praying about writing this post, God reminded me of a perfect example. I live in an area of Oklahoma where we have hot summers and very little trees to provide shade. However, about 5 years ago, I noticed this little twig growing in our flowerbed right outside my bedroom window. This twig was not much to speak of at the time, but it has since grown to stand 16 feet tall.

This tree was planted in hard clay without a single tree around, but it grew where it was planted. You would not travel from far away to see it, and it is not much to look at, but it is doing what it was made to do…provide a little bit of shade for the small area it covers.

So I ask you, what were you made to do? God made you to be a leader. Where are you currently planted? God desires for you to lead there. Be fruitful and lead where God has planted you!

“Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule I lay down in all the Churches. Each man should remain in the condition in which he was called. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.” 1 Corinthians 7:17-24