Bloom Where You're Planted

I was richly blessed to be a part of the memorial service honoring the 81-year life of my Uncle Bob from Middletown, OH. Uncle Bob had a sweet spirit and an infectious laugh & smile. His eyes smiled when he talked.  He was married for 53+ years to my dad's sister, Iona.  They loved & served the Lord in such a way that people who observed them truly desired to "have what they had".


I have many fond memories of my Uncle Bob & Aunt Iona from my childhood. My family stopped in Middletown EVERY year before & after Anderson Campmeeting. Their daughter (my cousin, Becky) was a treasured friend from as early as I can remember.  She inherited the gentle spirit and the same infectious laugh & smile of her father.  

At the memorial service, I was especially blessed to hear of how my uncle & aunt had impacted the lives of a friends from church, Dave & Debbie Sebastian. A letter from Dave was read at Uncle Bob's service. Hearing those words was a true blessing.   

I was reminded of the wonderful tapestry that God is weaving with all the threads of our lives. We never know how our service, our actions, our re-actions, and more will weave into his final tapestry!

My mom used to have a saying that she repeated a few more times that I enjoyed as a young person... "Bloom where you're planted."  What great advice though. 

How much that reminds me of Ecclesiastes 3:11: "God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end."

We just don't know what God will make of what we are has doing - even in the small, somewhat insignificant times.  He has so much in store for those who trust Him, acknowledge Him & follow Him!!

He knows what potential the threads of our lives have in the beautiful tapestry He is weaving - when we yield them to Him.  (See Proverbs 3:5-6).

(written 01/10/2010)