Bloom Where You're Planted

Many people in ministry are envious of others in the same ministry. I have known youth pastors who wish they were at the large church because they would have more money and more resources to do the kind of ministry that they wanted to do. I also know local church pastors who have not been satisfied in the church that they have been assigned, remarking that "If only I was at a better church my ministry would grow." It is very easy to indulge yourself in the temptation of being envious of others ministry, however, that is the temptation that we must resist.

Have you ever heard the term "Bloom where you are planted?" I have heard it from time to time in my ministry, especially when I have been depressed that the ministry that I was assigned to be doing wasn't working the way I wanted it to. What I have come to learn from that statement is that God puts us in a ministry setting where we need to be at a particular time when we need the there. God has given each one of us different gifts and God knows where we need to be to be using the specific gifts.

There is no perfect ministry out there. Every church is messy. Accept that! If I might quote Josh Griffin in a blog article he wrote, "[there will always be] pushy parents, apathetic teenagers…" And I would add inadequate facilities, a lack of funding. You can dwell on the negative and constantly be complaining and wish that you were someplace else, or you could be grateful for the gift that you have been given and the place that you have been put to do ministry.