Estimated Reading Time 7 Minutes
Hey You! Welcome to another episode of The Vibrant Life Podcast. I’m Emily Romrell and I hope you’re having a happy day. This last week was really great. I took a little road trip to Idaho for the weekend and spend some time with family. We visited the graves of my grandparents and my cousin. It really hit home to me how grateful I am for the people who came before me and paved the way. Even after loved ones pass away the mark they make on your heart remains and continues to make a difference. We also visited a memorial in the park dedicated to fallen soldiers which I found very moving. I’m so grateful to be an American and I’m so thankful to the men and women who sacrifice so much for the freedom we enjoy. Then we came home to Utah and rounded things out with a Memorial Day BBQ and family baseball game on Monday. So much fun! I hope y’all had a great holiday weekend as well.
So My Friends, have you told your friends about The Vibrant Life Podcast yet? If not, why not? If you’ve found value in these messages, please recommend the podcast to people who might also enjoy it. I’m really trying to grow a community. I’m thrilled to have you be a part of it and I would be thrilled to include your friends and family as well. Also, a quick review on iTunes would be another way to really make a difference.
Alrighty, we’re getting down and dirty with our topic today which is Bloom Where You’re Planted. This phrase has become pretty popular over the last several years, and I love it. I love plants. I love their beauty and variety. And I love the way they brighten up a place. You could even say they make things vibrant.
So coming off from last week when we covered Strength For Today, life can be tough. But there’s a great quote from Christine Caine that really embodies this message:
Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.
It’s the first week of June and this is one of my favorite times of the year. My mom always says June is the month for roses and it’s true. Everything is in bloom here in Utah. Green shoots are popping up in the garden, the skies are blue, and the sun is shining.
It’s easy to forget that for the last several months we’ve endured many dreary days full of cold, snow, rain, wind, and everything else. And we may not understand that this period of struggle is what makes the beauty of Spring and Summer possible.
Let’s get sciencey for a minute. Have you ever heard of Vernalization? Many plants actually require a period of cold and dark before they can blossom. This is the time when the plant matures before reproduction. It’s kind of the plant equivalent to a caterpillar in a cocoon. If the plant doesn’t get cold enough for long enough then it won’t produce. If winters are too warm the plants can be damaged or even die.
When I was a kid we did that science experiment where you grow a bean sprout in a paper towel. It was magical watching that little bean bust out of its shell. You got to see what happens under the ground before the plant peaks up and really starts growing. Just a few days ago I decided to try and grow an avocado plant from a pit in a similar way. However, instead of a couple of days, it takes several weeks to germinate. I guess I graduated to the adult version of the experiment.
There are so many parallels between what happens in the physical world and what happens emotionally and spiritually. The truth is that we all have to go through similar periods of struggle in order to grow and mature. Without these difficult times, we won’t be able to fulfill our potential. We have to experience the cold and dark to bloom where we’re planted.
But there’s more to it than just accepting that life is hard. There’s survival mode, which side note, I have been known to spend too much time in. And then there’s what we could call sur-THRIVE-al mode, aka living a vibrant life. I think you have to take it in steps, right? It’s not realistic to move from a place of real darkness straight to June roses and blue skies. Just like the long Winter thaws gradually into Spring, it’s important to take one step at a time.
One of my absolute favorite teachings in my church is that every living thing is meant to fulfill the measure of its creation. I think plants are amazing examples of this. Sometimes I will look at a tree and just feel the joy that comes from it growing and being the best tree possible. I can’t help but smile at the Spring flowers and think about how their purpose is simply to grow and bloom.
But it’s not just plants. The other day I was at the park feeding the ducks with my brother and had similar feelings. We saw cute baby ducks and I thought about how their purpose is to grow into the best ducks they can be. And I think about our little dog, Artemis, and his happy dog personality. If you’re a dog owner you know, they are perhaps the most joyful creatures on the planet. Why do you think they’re so happy? Because dogs exist in the moment just loving on you and getting excited about the simple things in life. They bloom where they’re planted.
You know my friends, it’s not any different with us. We’re meant to experience the same joy but just on a much higher level. We are all children of God and we have limitless potential. The joy in life comes from living true to our higher natures, by striving the be our best. Obviously, we are imperfect human beings and we all make mistakes. Sometimes we have to go through Winters and periods of darkness to grow and mature before we can really bloom. But the year is not only made of Winters. It’s full of June roses as well. It’s a cycle of growth and hopefully, as the years go by, we can spiral upwards and grow into our higher natures.
So let’s talk about higher nature for a minute. In today’s world, everyone tries to stand out from the crowd and a lot of importance is put on things like your looks, money, power, or intelligence. If you are exceptional at something you might even be called a genius. I think most of us have wished we were a genius at something at some point in our lives. Would it surprise you to learn that it’s true and you are a genius?
The origin of the word genius comes from Roman times. They believed that pretty much everything had its own divine spirit or genius. For females the term was Juno. Each individual person, place, or thing had a genius or what you could think of as a soul. The Romans borrowed this idea from the Greeks who called them Daemons spelled d-a-e-m-o-n-s. Basically, the idea is that every person is born with an attending daemon or genius. According to Plato, the daemon is a sort of guardian angel that guides you through life helping you achieve great things. It reminds me a lot of Peter Pan and where fairies come from:
When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born its first laugh becomes a fairy.
Geniuses follow a similar line. Every baby gets a genius to lead them to fulfill their potential.
I want you to think for a minute about what you are passionate about. What is it that you love to do? If you had no worries about money or time what would you be doing right now? That’s a really good clue to where your area of genius may lie. Maybe you’re a genius with numbers. Maybe you’re a genius with people and making others around you feel loved. Maybe you’re a genius with music. Maybe you’re an athletic genius and can move your body in wonderful ways. The point is that we are all geniuses. There are a million varieties of flowers and plants out there and the differences are what make us all truly beautiful.
There’s a quote that’s often attributed to Albert Einstein that he probably never said. Side note, Einstein is one of the most misquoted figures in history which again says something. Anyway, here’s the quote:
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
How many times are we guilty of this. We compare ourselves to others and define ourselves by deficiencies that really don’t exist because we are all unique and special in different ways. I don’t think that a rose is more beautiful than a lily or a daisy. I love all flowers. I revel in the fact that there are so many marvelous varieties to enjoy.
It takes guts to follow your passion and live up to that higher nature inside you. But in my opinion, that’s what blooming where you’re planted really means. I want to leave you with a quote that has made a huge impact on how I look at life:
So, if things are painful for you right now, consider the idea that you’ve been planted. It may be time to make the decision to bloom where you’re planted. It’s not easy, but I can guarantee it will make your life much more vibrant.
Hey…don’t forget to tell your friends about The Vibrant Life Podcast. You could even share this episode with them. And if you feel you’ve benefited from the podcast, please leave a quick review on iTunes. Thanks for your support and have a great week!
