I love to learn, especially about home organization and money management. If there's a book out there on either subject (or, better yet, one that combines the two), I've probably read it. So, when I was blessed to receive a copy of "The Money Saving Mom's Budget" this past week as a gift from my cousin, I was elated and dove right in, starting with the introduction as I do with all books that I read.
Outlined in the opening pages was a summary of each chapter, and a line from chapter nine's content caught my attention: "bloom where you're planted." This made me smile, because I'm not living where I grew up or even where I thought I would spend my adult years.
When we first moved from my hometown to the fast-paced Silicon Valley, I didn't feel like blooming much. In fact, I'm fairly certain that I wilted for a while! The high cost of living; Jon's night job and schooling; and my injured arm were enough to topple any resolve of flourishing in my new surroundings.
As time went on, though, the Lord slowly removed each of my thorns and produced lovely roses in their stead. Jon graduated and later landed a much steadier job with day-time hours; my arm began to heal; and we're constantly finding new ways of keeping down costs.
In the process of these adjustments, I've become more aware of both my sinfulness and the Lord's graciousness. To have avoided the dead-heading trials of previous years sounds pleasant, but I know that in the long run I am better off for having climbed my Everest. And now that I'm at the top, I'm free to bloom in much more grandeur than I ever could have prior to the pruning!
I'm glad you are blooming now. Change can take a while to get used to, for sure!
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