Grow Where You Are Planted

By Patti Corse

June 27, 2010

Esther 4:8-14 Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the king’s decree dooming all Jews, and told him to show it to Esther and to tell her what was happening, and that she should go to the king to plead for her people. So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai’s message. Esther told Hathach to go back and say to Mordecai, “All the world knows that anyone, whether man or woman, who goes into the king’s inner court without his summons, is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter; and the king has not called for me to come to him in more than a month.” So Hathach gave Esther’s message to Mordecai.

This was Mordecai’s reply to Esther: “Do you think you will escape there in the palace, when all other Jews are killed? If you keep quiet at a time like this, God will deliver the Jews from some other source, but you and your relatives will die; what’s more, who can say but that God has brought you into the palace for such a time as this?”

In July I am going on an adventure with 3 of our high-school youth, and one friend. We will be joining together with 42 youth and 5 adults from the Lake Michigan Presbytery. Our group will then join with approximately 4,950 other youth and leaders from around the world....for the 2010 Presbyterian Youth Triennium, which is held on the campus of Purdue University. I have heard from other adults and youth that this is an awesome event, and we’re all sure to be changed because of it. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to attend.

Each Triennium has a theme which is typically a line or two from Scripture. This year’s theme is “for such a time as this” from the Book of Esther. I realized rather quickly that I had retained nothing in my memory banks about Queen Esther from my Sunday School days. After some research, I discovered that she was a very courageous and intelligent woman. Her story is very interesting.

As I have been preparing for today’s message, I have had a few different topics floating around in my head, but hadn’t been able to come up with anything concrete for any of them. And then, out of nowhere is this wonderful story! So that’s how I came to decide on today’s scripture and message. This little story of Esther and Mordecai, who discover grace and strength in hard times, just might offer some grace and strength for us today.

Esther’s story is in the Old Testament. It is estimated to have been written around 350 to 460 BC. The Jews were living in Persia in the days of the great King Xerxes, not as slaves, but as a minority ethnic group. Mordecai, a Jew, was a minor court official, a government bureaucrat and Esther was his cousin, who lived with him.

One evening while King Xerxes was having a lavish party for all his men, the Queen Vashti was entertaining the women. After quite a bit to drink, the king summoned Vashti so he could show her off, as she was a very beautiful woman.....but she refused. This was viewed as act of public humiliation, so the King was forced to have her put to death. This then led to the search for a new queen, and the king chose Esther.

Haman was a minister in the king’s court and all the servants would kneel down and bow in religious worship to him, because the king had commanded it (after Haman bribed the king with a huge gift of money to the king’s treasury). But Mordecai wouldn’t kneel or bow before Haman. Haman grew angry with Mordecai, and vowed to kill him. Then when he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, he resolved to destroy ALL Jews, Mordecai’s nation, throughout the King’s entire empire.

So now, because she is Queen, Esther is faced with an unbelievable decision. In the Scripture reading, Mordecai reminds Esther that she is in a position to petition the king and plea for her people’s freedom. Now remember, times were very, very different back then. Esther couldn’t just say to Xerxes....”honey, I need to talk to you about something....”. She could actually be killed, just for asking to see the king, and it meant divulging the fact that she was a Jew. When Mordecai first told Esther what she needed to do, she resisted.

In verse 14 of the Scripture reading, Mordecai tells Esther that “even if you are silent now, and do nothing, the Jews will get relief and rescue in some other way, and you and your family will perish. And who knows? Maybe it was for just such an occasion that you were made queen!” She sent a message back to Mordecai asking her people to fast and pray with her for 3 days. Esther said that she would then go to the king – against the law – and if she was killed, then she would be the only one killed.

Esther was very patient and wise . She invited the king and Haman to a banquet, and then to another banquet. At the second banquet she tells the king about Haman’s plot. She ends up saving her people, Mordecai is promoted within the King’s court, and Haman is put to death.

This story of Esther shows the choice we make between seeing the hand of God in our circumstances in life, or seeing things as merely coincidence. God is the sovereign Ruler of the universe and we can be assured that His plans will not be moved by anything we do. That’s what Mordecai was telling Esther. God puts us in places where we can act on His behalf. God is preparing you for your next opportunity to act. Have you ever considered that He may have put you here for such a time as this? To do what others won’t; to act or speak when they can’t? It we don’t act, we will miss out on the blessing of being used by God to accomplish His purposes. That was Esther’s situation – had she not stepped up, she would have missed out. This is the same for countless others through the centuries as well....like Harriet Tubman who courageously to free over 300 slaves in the “Underground Railroad”

Whatever times we are in, however hard life may become, we must act accordingly, take a stand, doing what we are called to do as Christians. Few people have had their lives go in the direction they had planned or wished for. Yet, God always works things according to His plan...and not our plan. And, His plan is for our good and His glory.

God tells us in Scripture that we were created to glorify Him. That’s our purpose. Isaiah 43:7 – “whom I created for my glory”

Psalm 86:12 – “I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart. I will glorify your name forever”.

So, wherever we find ourselves in life, may we shine for God, regardless of if it is where we want to be or doing what we want to be doing.

While Janet and Jerry are having their sabbatical “off-site”, we’re having ours right here, on-site. God has placed us all here for a reason, and during this summer, I believe we are being called to come together and grow as a congregation. In one of Janet’s newsletter articles she wrote “Experience the community of the church in a way that is new and refreshing. Some of us will find new opportunities for service that deepens your faith. When we return, we’ll begin exploring the ways that each of us has grown, and see how this time will shape our future ministry together”.

I see our congregation as a garden, with so many beautiful blooms. In order for our garden to grow, however, we must each deepen our roots. If our individual roots grow and become stronger, they will become connected with others, and our garden will be strong.

There are a variety of opportunities to become more deeply connected during this summer.

In July there are two days for Mission work. These days will be spent working with Open Door/Next Door Ministries. I have never participated in a Mission Trip or event in the past, so I thought it would be a good idea to experience that ministry. On June 19^th I worked at a home-site for Habitat with Humanity, along with a few other members of our congregation, another church group and some of the Habitat home buyers. I only spent one-half of a day with these people, and I can’t tell you how much my soul was nurtured!

Working in the dirt with a group of other people gets you connected – new friendships are formed and old friendships are nourished.

Another opportunity is to host or attend a discussion group on the book “Receiving the Day”. Discussions like this can be so helpful as you explore the ideas of the book within a group setting. It really enriches the reading experience. Sharing our ideas and thoughts will deepen our roots.

You can sign-up to teach Summer Children’s Church. It’s such a wonderful way to connect with the children of our church family. Give it a try this summer to see if it might be a ministry you’d like to become more involved with during the year. Remember the vows we make to every young person who is baptized into our church family. It is everyone’s responsibility to teach our children. Sharing our time with them will deepen our roots.

Inviting friends and family to join you at church and church events is also a way to grow. We have a variety of activities going on at this church. Go to a Second-Saturday outing and invite some friends, attend Christian Ed classes and discussions, join the Prayer Group, sign up for Coffee Plus, liturgist, host, usher, join a book discussion group, introduce yourself to guests, work on a church cleaning day project.....become a Youth Group Leader!

Jesus’ teachings were meant to be implanted in a person’s heart, to take root, to grow, and eventually to culminate in a fruitful life. Acts 17:27: says “His purpose in all of this is that they should seek after God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and are!”

To bloom fully as God’s children we must be continually watered with God’s word, and nurtured in the faith. And if we don’t tend to our garden with weeding and pruning, it will become overgrown and eventually we will stop growing and blooming. When we are blooming and live in the fullness of God’s kingdom, we are better equipped to glorify Him.

In even the most beautiful gardens there are diseases and pests that can stifle the growth of plants. In our garden, we can also have these diseases and pests. They can be because of a bad attitude, stubbornness, or just due to really bad circumstances. If we let resentments and negative thoughts start to grow.....we just fertilize them by paying attention to them. They are like those weeds that you pull out one day, and the next day they are back and twice as tall! Analyze your motives before acting or speaking unpleasantly towards someone, let go of the baggage of the past, make amends, and vow to live by the Fruits of the Spirit. We need to turn our energies to producing flowers and fruit.

Esther didn’t throw wisdom to the wind and ignore the laws of the land or the customs of her day. Nor did she act before she prayed and fasted – dedicating herself to seeking God’s will and God’s favor. She used the wisdom God had given her, sought him in prayer, and asked others to do the same on her behalf (similar to our “Prayers and Concerns” portion of our worship service, and our prayer circle). All of this enabled her to handle the situation with the sensitivity that was necessary for a good result.

Esther shows us that remaining respectful and humble, even in extremely difficult circumstances, often sets us up to be the vessel of untold blessing for both ourselves and others. We would benefit greatly if we could follow her godly attitudes in all areas of life, but especially during trials.

We can’t always choose where we live, and we can’t control the exact circumstances of our lives, our health, our work or our family challenges. We can, however, choose our reaction to them. We can choose to grow where we are planted, or we can choose to resist - which results in unhappiness and a failure to thrive. Our reaction is our choice. In choosing to bloom where you are planted, you will find great happiness here or wherever you go. Each one of us can find moments of peace, joy, and happiness wherever we are, if we are seeking to be closer to God.

This spring I purchased some perennials from a catalog, and they arrive in a dormant state. As I was planted them, I came across one plant, and I couldn’t determine which end was the roots! I planted it the way I thought was correct, and nothing happened. All my other plants started growing and thriving in their new home, but this one was just a stick with no growth on it. I just left it for a few weeks as I focused on another area of the garden, and when I went back to look....lo and behold it had two leaves...it is growing!!! I was so filled with joy, I wanted to let everyone know about it. I figure this must be how God feels when he sees one of his children start to grow.

There’s nothing more rewarding to a gardener than to watch a seed turn into a plant and produce blooms and fruit. Each seed has it’s own timetable, its own pattern of growth, and planting seeds requires faith. But all the faith in the world won’t make a seed become a plant. You have to actually put the seed into the ground rather than leave it in the packet on the shelf. It needs water and tending. And then – and this is probably the hardest part – you have to trust the miracle of growth which is ultimately up to God. One way to tend your own soul, to bolster your own faith, is to let go and trust that God will bring fruit from what you’ve planted.

The seed represents us as followers of Christ, that by ourselves we are small, but with Christ in our lives we grow and bloom to live in the fullness of the kingdom of God. The same is also true of our congregation. We begin as a seed and over time with the proper care, teaching, and understanding...we bloom into all that God wants us to be.

When our contributions include God and are based on our response to God and our willingness to serve Him, we have opportunity to be more than we thought possible. We are experiencing an extraordinary power, the power of God. And when we allow God to use us and this congregation with His power, we will experience miracles and wonders beyond our belief!

Sometimes plants just need to be moved in order to thrive. So take a lesson from a plant, if you are not abundantly growing where you are, there is nothing wrong with you. You might just need a small shift; even if others around you are thriving while you are not. The “location” you are in may not be right for you. Don’t give up or think a major replant is necessary. Start with smaller easier moves or shifts...you may just find your abundant growth was only a few feet away. Perhaps you need to take a personal inventory to see what is inhibiting your growth.

Sometimes we find ourselves in the middle of a life storm and we question why God has placed us in these circumstances. We can get angry with God and impatient with Him. But we have to remember that God has a plan, and we are just where He wants us to be. Many times we can’t see the reason or understand it right away, but over time it becomes clear.

I was married to my first husband for 12 years, and we were moving from Louisiana to California for his new job. About half-way into the trip, he told me that when we arrived in California he wanted a divorce. It was the last thing I ever expected him to say, and in about 10 seconds, my life totally turned upside down and inside out.

So here I was, 2500 miles away from my family, in a new city, a new state, looking for a new job and apartment and getting a divorce. I lived there for 2 years and then an opportunity arose for me to move back home to Michigan and take over my Dad’s business. And then another event happened that totally shook my world – but this time it was a good shake-up! I met Dan and we fell in love. Dan was getting ready to move north to Oregon, but he says that because of me he made the biggest right turn of his lfe!

As I look back on the whole thing I can see that God took an unpleasant situation and transplanted me in a place where I could grow. He knew I needed to be transplanted. I wasn’t attending church and therefore had no relationship with Him. My lifestyle was not healthy, and certainly did not glorify Him. He knew I needed to be in a place where I could grow in His love. So He plants me back here in Michigan, and then works it out so Dan meets Don Meldrum, and Don invites us to attend worship here. If I hadn’t met Dan, chances are pretty good that I wouldn’t be a member of this congregation, and I wouldn’t have grown the way I have. I don’t think meeting Dan was a coincidence.

God is saying to each of us “Look, you have gifts that I have given you, you have interest that I have placed within you, and you have Jesus Christ in your heart, so bloom where I have planted you”. Bloom and do the very best job you can whatever it may be, grow as a child of God, and produce good fruit that will bring glory to God and serve as a witness for others. God can and will use each of our gifts to produce a kingdom of fruit and blooms. God knew that I had a gift for Youth Ministry. I didn’t. So his plan was to get me back to church, to get to know Him again, and eventually use my gifts.

We need to be ready with our fruit when He needs them for His use. As a flower in His Garden of Life I want to bear good fruit, so I’m striving to be ready when He calls on me to perform.

It doesn’t matter how old or young you are, how gifted or talented we might think we are, God wants us to bloom into the fullness of His glory, and it’s never too late. For some that may mean being more open to God, and for others it may mean trying something new. God wants to plant us where we can be faithful witnesses so that others might see us grow and bloom. So listen for God’s call and no matter where you find yourself along life’s journey – grow and bloom where you’re planted, so that Christ might shine in and through you. Amen.