Bloom Where You're Planted

I've said it before and I'll say it again. God's timing is everything. There are times when the whole world is against me, making it hard for me to breathe. Am I doing everything that has been asked of me? Why haven't I found the right guy to marry? When will I graduate?

I'll try to keep this post brief. I have so many thoughts on this topic, I doubt I'll be able to share all of them accurately without melting into a puddle... of somethingness.

While I have considered this topic for a long time, I'll try to be brief.

 The weekend after my spring semester classes ended at Utah State, I received a phone call from my dad that my uncle wanted me to call him. 

Something about a job offer was all my dad would tell me. I called my uncle to get the scoop, and was indeed told I could start as early as that Tuesday. I felt like the job offer couldn't have come at a better time, so I packed up and moved to good old Burley, Idaho, where I would be spending the summer living at home with my family, working at my uncle's law firm. I was nervous, but overall excited for what was to come.

Working in a law firm was actually a really cool experience. I loved being able to use some of my talents for writing in a different way. I loved the people I was able to meet, and the interactions I was able to have with some of the clients. While my experience at the law firm was short-lived, I was grateful I was able to learn life lessons from my uncle in the process. That's what family is for, right?

Along with my short-lived law office experience, I had an interesting summer while living at home, much of which I will choose not to relive, because it's simply too painful. 

There are a few specific experiences this summer that tested me, shaped me, and molded me into the person I am today. God's timing was a part of each and every one of them.

God is still working on me. Molding me day by day into a stronger, more beautiful person. I wouldn't be who I am today without the trials I have experienced up to this point.

While this summer was hard in a number of different ways, it was also a summer I wouldn't change for the world. I attended Girls State, and the Idaho State 4-H Teen Association Convention, both of which were incredible blessings in disguise. The Girls State theme of "Bloom Where You're Planted" especially touched my heart. It reminded me of where I have come from, and where I want to go. 

Like a flower grown in a beautiful garden, it isn't grown without weeds that surround it, which sometimes cause it to be choked out, losing its chance to grow. Each flower blooms differently. No two flowers are exactly the same. Neither are no two people's trials or experiences.

It can sometimes take months or years for us to learn something from our trials and the hardships we experience. It can take even longer for something beautiful to come from those trials. And sometimes, it can take as short as three weeks. 

Whether those lessons come through trials, the experiences of another person, or some other way, each has a way of teaching us things we aren't always able to learn on our own. 

 Although it isn't always easy to trust in God's timing, or believe that His timing really is perfect, the hope that He really does know what He's doing keeps me focused and faithful. He can do the same for you if you choose to let Him. 

You can choose to be a chrysanthemum or a lily, a carnation or a rose. Personally I pick the chrysanthemums. They're my favorite, and who doesn't like to say that name over and over again? 

God's timing is everything in my life. It is through his timing that I have learned some of the greatest lessons he has for me. It is through his timing I have learned to be patient while He molds me into something I couldn't have ever imagined for myself.

One of my fellow Girls State Counselors, Suze, shared this quote from a Huffington Post article with her girls that I also love. 

"Learn to bloom where you are planted. Even if you find yourself planted under some concrete at the moment, look for the crack in the concrete to find your way out, and despite all odds, choose to bloom always." 

I offer the same advice to you. Choose to BLOOM. Whatever your circumstances. Whatever your current struggles. No matter how far gone you feel you are. You have POWER. You carry a beauty no one can take away from you. 

"Choose to bloom always."