Bloom Where You're Planted!

Jeremiah 29.4-7The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, sends this message to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem:"Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens and eat the food you produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them and have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!And work for the peace and prosperity of Babylon. Pray to the Lord for that city where you are held captive, for if Babylon has peace, so will you."IN OTHER WORDS...Bloom Where You're Planted!Often as military families, and others with transient careers, we are "held captive" by the assignment system and sent off to far away lands where we'd rather not be. Unfamiliar with the culture, the people, the food, or lack thereof (i.e. places where there is no Chick-Fil-A!), we can justify our limited time on station, and live in our safe cocoon.I was speaking at a women's conference in Japan several years ago. Always interested in others' experiences and stories, I listened to many of the wives talk about their experience living in a very foreign setting.I could identify with those who were adventurous and would get in the car and drive around, getting lost more times than they could count.I envied the ones who weren't afraid to try new food dishes, not having the slightest clue as to how to identify or pronounce what was in them.But I felt sorry for those who were just doing their time, counting down the days until they could go back to America. The ones who were content to stay safely within the confines of the gated base, and occasionally venture out to Burger King for a night out.Let's dare to heed the advice of Jeremiah and bloom where we're planted.Let's paint the walls of our temporary homes and make our yards colorful and our front doors open to a warm and inviting space inside. Let's invest in the local towns and their unique causes and strive to leave them better than we found them.Instead of saying, "We're only going to be here 2 years so we'll just make do and muddle through," let's say, "We're only going to be here 2 years so let's make the most of it! Let's see where God can use us and where we can invest in this place."And let's "work for the peace and prosperity of (wherever God has sent you). Pray to the Lord for the city where you are held captive, for if (wherever God has sent you) has peace, so will you."