Blooming Where You're Planted

Upon the encouragement of my wife, I'm starting this blog with the hope of encouraging other Christians in their daily walks.  For those of you that read my posts on Facebook's "The Chaplain's Corner," much of the material will be repeated.  Thanks to all who join me here and your comments and questions are greatly appreciated...

My wife and I conduct pet therapy sessions at a couple of local nursing homes. Our two eight year old dogs, Belle and Georgie, visit the residents and are made over lovingly. The residents call out Belle or Georgie’s names when they see them. I don’t think more than one resident knows my wife or my name. Belle and Georgie are the real stars! That’s okay, though. The dogs give unconditional love and the residents reciprocate. It’s neat to watch...That one resident that knows our names is a lady named Millie. She’s an amazing illustration of the notion of "blooming where you’re planted." For some, the nursing home can be a rather depressing place. For Millie, it’s an opportunity to serve Christ. More on Millie in a minute.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 tells us:
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might........

And in Colossians 3:23 we read
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.....

In 1Chronicles 28:9, King David says,
9 "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion..."

So, not only are we to bloom where we’re planted, but we’re to do it with all our might, all our heart, and with wholehearted devotion. Not sure about you, but I often find myself lacking in all three areas. I usually find myself wanting to serve God when I want to, how I want to, and where I want to. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind blooming, but it’s going to be on my terms. You know the feeling? I don’t think that’s what God considers wholehearted devotion. My friend Millie is a much better example.

Millie is in her mid-70's, has a heart condition and has little or no use of her legs. That’s about all I know about her physical condition. She stays at a nursing home that the dogs visit every other week. Most days we enter her room to find Millie sitting in her wheelchair, pouring over an open Bible on her neatly made bed. Alongside her Bible, Millie generally has a notepad and pen for taking notes, inspirational cards she’s writing to encourage another, and other tools of her trade. Millie always greets us with a radiant smile and excitement in her eyes. Without fail, Millie wants to share with me a scripture passage that she’s been studying, or a prayer concern that she’s having about another resident. Other times, Millie wants to tell me about something exciting that’s happened during one of the Bible studies at the home during the week. She punctuates every bit of good news with a high five. She always asks if there’s something I would like her to be praying for. On our next visit two weeks later, she’ll unfailingly ask about those same requests. She knows which of the nursing home staff are "believers," indicating that she’s done her research on her community much more than we do in our own neighborhoods. Millie’s blooming where she’s been planted. She exemplifies wholehearted devotion. Quite frankly, she puts most of us to shame...

This week, Georgie and I went to Millie’s room to find her laying in bed. I was surprised and concerned to find her in that position. We were met with that same Millie smile. She explained that she’d had some heart palpitations earlier in the morning, and the medical staff had ordered her to stay in bed for a time period. It hadn’t deterred her one iota. You see, alongside Millie’s bed was another lady, Betty, sitting a wheelchair. Millie had summoned to her room via one of the nursing staff. Millie explained that she been wanting to talk to Betty for a long time and was excited to get the chance. Can you guess what Millie was talking to Betty about, laying flat on her back, due to medical bed rest? Of course, Millie was telling Betty about Jesus...still blooming where she was planted.