"I was walking in the woods one day when I came to a big, open field that was full of tall weeds. Everywhere I looked, all I could see were ugly, brown, dried-up weeds. But when I went a little farther down the path, I noticed one beautiful flower standing in the midst of all the weeds. It was so colorful, so vivid and, amazingly, it had blossomed right there in the midst of those drab, dreary weeds. I thought, That is exactly what God wants us to do, to bloom wherever we're planted.
You may live or work around a bunch of weeds, but don't let that stop you from blooming. Realize that your environment does not prevent you from being happy. Some people spend all their time trying to pull up all the weeds. Meanwhile, they miss much of their lives. Don't worry about the things you can't change. You can't change the traffic in the morning. You can't fix everybody at work. You can't make all your family members serve God. But you shouldn't let that keep you from being happy. Bloom anyway, and focus on the things that you can change. You can change your own attitude. You can choose to be happy right where you are.
Keep a good attitude and keep blossoming right where you are. If you'll make the decision to stay faithful and be content, at the right time God will change those circumstances. He'll get you out of those old weeds and put you in a better place. But if you refuse to bloom where you are, your progress will be stifled. God has planted us somewhere specifically so we might bear much fruit. And it's not so important where we are. What matters is: Are we bearing good fruit? Are we letting our lights shine? Are we being good examples? Can people see the joy of the Lord radiating from our lives? If you will keep blooming right where you care, then rest assured in God's perfect timing, He will transplant you. What you need to do is choose to be happy and appreciate today. Hang in there dear friend, you're one day closer to whatever or {whoever} it is!"
* This is an excerpt from page 274, Choose to be Happy, Your Best Life Now, Joel Osteen *
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