How to Bloom Where God Plants You with Grace

When I hear the word “Bloom,” I immediately think of flowers and springtime. I dream images of colorful flowers lining the sidewalks, fields of bright green grass, blue skies, and the sun shining through the puffy white clouds.

But can there be bloom without springtime? Can there be bloom in times of chaos instead of peace? 

These questions are certainly relevant for our spiritual life. How do I bloom where God plants me? How do I bloom with grace in this season of life instead of hide away until it passes? This article will give you Biblical lessons and scripture about blooming where you’re planted.

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What is the meaning of bloom?

The true definition of bloom has nothing to do with springtime. It’s not about blue skies, sunny days, and sun-lit pastures of green. 

What does it mean to be planted?

In the same way that seeds are planted, we are planted, too. Sometimes we are planted in a meticulous, organized way. We pick the seemingly “perfect” spot to plant ourselves, thinking it’s safe here to bloom and blossom.

For example, our current season of life may be something we chose—moving to a new city, starting a new job, or not dating. At the same time, the current season of life may be something we didn’t choose—moving to a new city, starting a new job, or not dating.

Whatever the case, we’ve been planted. We’ve been planted physically wherever we live, spiritually in the spiritual battle around us, and relationally with the people we interact with. 

God is the one who plants us. 

And while I’ll be the first to admit that I doubt God’s timing, I must remind myself that I can’t see the end game like He can. So trusting Him means surrendering my plans to His sovereign will.

What does bloom where you’re planted mean?

At the surface level, “Bloom where you are planted” seems like a modern way to say an old proverb. Making the best of a bad. Taking the cards life deals you and using them to make something great.

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

But blooming isn’t about making lemonades or making the best of the bad. Blooming where you are planted is about growing and maturing in the good seasons of life and the tough seasons of life. Even when we don’t always have a choice in where we are planted. 

Let’s take things a step further to the biblical meaning of “bloom where you are planted.” 

Bloom with Grace Bible Verses

The biblical meaning of bloom where you’re planted is about our hearts and a reconciled relationship between us and God. These 8 bible verses about blossoming show us that God desires to heal us, to forgive our sins when we repent, and to love us. And because of Jesus that is possible.

1. Proverbs 11:28
2. Hosea 14:4-7
3. Habakkuk 3:17-19
4. Isaiah 35:1-2
5. Psalm 72:7
6. Psalm 72:16-17
7. Isaiah 27-6
8. Ezekiel 17:24

In the below scriptures about blooming, you’ll see that God is the planter. His truth and love is the water. And the more time we spend with him, the more we can bloom with Him.

Proverbs 11:28

One scripture that is straightforward about the biblical meaning of bloom is in Proverbs.

In other words, blossoming has nothing to do with riches. It doesn’t equate being well-off or wealthy. It doesn’t mean success, achievement, stunning looks, or any other factor but this—righteousness.

Hosea 14:4-7

In Hosea, one of the prophetic books, God talks about His judgement and His plan to restore Israel the flourishing nation they once were.

When God talks about his plan of restoration, the focus on the heart. These other Bible verses about the heart of a woman, remind us that we are given new hearts and are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

At the end of Habakkuk, the prophet commits to rejoice even as God delivers judgement.

Isaiah 35:1-2

In Isaiah, we see the end result of allowing God to transform us. 

Psalm 72:7, Psalm 72:16-17

Psalm 72 includes several Bible verses about people blooming.

Isaiah 27:6

Isaiah foretells how Jacob will bloom and bless the whole world through Jesus Christ. I’d recommend reading all of chapter 27 for more Bible verses about blooming. 

Ezekiel 17:24

In Ezekiel, God also talks about how He has the power to make us bloom. As God is in control, He is the one who plants us and by his grace, allows us to boom.

How to Bloom where God Plants You

From the bible verses about blooming, we know that the righteous shall bloom. But how do you actually bloom wherever God plants you and do it with grace?

When I asked God that question, He brought two examples of bloom in the Bible to my mind. These two people blossomed even though they were in thorns: Joseph, Jacob’s son, and Ruth, Naomi’s daughter-in-law. 

From their stories, here are three lessons on how to bloom where God plants you with grace.

1. Be Planted where God Plants You

Joseph’s story unfolds in Genesis 37-50. He’s betrayed by his own brothers and sold into slavery to Egypt. He works hard in Potiphar’s household and eventually becomes in charge of everything Potiphar owns. 

Then Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him and when Joseph resists, she claims that he violated her. So Joseph is thrown in prison.

Yet, in the Genesis chapters, there is no mention of Joseph running away or cursing God because of his fate. Joseph spends the rest of his life in Egypt, as a foreigner, and a lot of that time is spent as a slave, a servant, or a prisoner. 

Do you stay where God plants you?

I’m convicted thinking about how I complain to God about where I am in life. Because adulting is hard or I don’t like my job or I’d rather live someone else, I resist where God has planted me. 

However, I’m thankful for God’s patience and want to adopt Joseph’s attitude—believing that God planted me where He planted me for a reason even if there is no bloom right now. And I can still run to God for comfort in my sorrow.

When I don’t understand how God is working, I need faith to believe He is working.

2. Grow where you are planted

The second step in how to bloom where God plants you is to grow where you are planted. 

Despite how alluring the stories of overnight success, wealth, and happiness are, it’s not reality. A seed doesn’t become a flower overnight. It takes time, water, sun, and nutrients before there  is blossoming. 

Similarly, Joseph doesn’t let his circumstances dictate his faithfulness, work ethic, or growth. As Potiphar’s servant, Joseph starts at the bottom of the “servanthood ladder.” 

Yet because God blesses everything that Joseph does, Potiphar gives Joseph more and more responsibility until Joseph is running everything in the household.

When Joseph is thrown in prison, he finds a similar favor in the eyes of the guardian. At the moment when Joseph leaves prison, he is in charge of the jail and the prisoners. 

• Related: Lessons and Story to Unlock the Power of Prayer

3. Bloom where you are planted

The next step of how to bloom where God plants you is to do that—bloom! 

For Joseph, his spiritual growth and physical trials lead him to becoming the Egyptian Pharaoh’s second in command. In that position, Joseph extends mercy and grace to his brothers and saves the nation of Israel from being wiped out before it even begins.

Around Joseph, there is a worldwide famine, but look at how he blooms! God blesses Joseph in those circumstances and gives him the ability to bless others, including his brothers, through his position in Pharaoh’s government.

4. Bloom with Grace

Now, we turn to a second story that demonstrates how to bloom with grace—Ruth. 

Blooming doesn’t always mean power and wealth as it did in the story of Joseph. The story of Ruth is a beautiful example of a girl blooming without riches. 

Ruth is the daughter-in-law of a Jewish woman, Naomi. When Ruth and Naomi’s husbands die, Naomi pushes Ruth to return to her family in Moab. Instead, Ruth insists that she won’t leave Naomi side. 

Ruth’s dedication and care for her mother-in-law persists when they return to Israel. Ruth gleans grain for herself and Naomi.

Here, Ruth is a stranger to the Israelites and God’s people. Yet, she cares for her mother-in-law with such love and dedication that she is invited into the family of God. 

5. Bloom through Faith and Love

What does it mean when a girl is blooming?

While Ruth’s story is a huge contrast to Joseph’s definition of blooming, her story is even more powerful for me. Like Joseph, Ruth is blooming under hard circumstances while living in a foreign land. 

However, she blooms because of her love for her mother-in-law and her faith in God. And because of her faith, she is in Jesus’s bloodline as David’s great-grandmother.

I can’t imagine the faith that Ruth had to have and the selfless love she expressed to Naomi. To leave her country and care for her mother-in-law so dutifully.

May we all be girls who are blooming like Ruth!

Wherever God Plants You Bloom with Grace

Joseph and Ruth are just two examples in the Bible of people who bloomed despite tough circumstances. I’m inspired by their faith, and encouraged by how God was with them through every moment. 

God blessed them so that they flourished. While that didn’t always look like riches and nice clothes and praise and accolades, it was blooming.

Blooming with grace also means being gracious, patient, and kind to those around us. When Joseph flourished, he shared what he had with his brothers instead of harboring bitterness toward them. In the same way, we can bloom with grace by showing God’s love to others and viewing God’s blessings as opportunities to bless others.

When you hear the phrase “bloom where you are planted,” I hope you recognize that God has planted you where you are for a reason. We may not like the season of life we are in, but God doesn’t give us a guarantee that the Christian life will be easy.

May God strengthen your faith. And as your faith grows, may you be able to bloom where God plants you. May you bloom with grace!

What does it mean to bloom where you’re planted in your life now?

Leave me a comment below!

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