Grow where You’re Planted
by Angela Weir
These well-known verses are often quoted to encourage people to look to a better future and to seek God for the ‘special mission’ He has for them. Over the years I have come to believe that God does indeed have a special plan for us, but it might not be the great adventure on the mission field, or planting a new ministry - it could be living just where we are!
Having trained as an actress there was one thing I never wanted to do – teach drama, and guess what I ended up doing – teaching drama! I saw it as terrible failure at the time, though it wasn’t as if my acting career was reaching the high spots – not easy anyway, living in the remote north-west of England! I was very unhappy to begin with, but the chaplain at the school where I was teaching gave me some of the wisest advice I have ever had: ‘Grow where you’re planted.’
God did indeed have a plan for me and I believe I’m now fulfilling that plan, teaching and ministering to those in need, but I had to wait for fifteen years, learning how to teach, and, in the meantime, ‘growing where I was planted’. At the right time God gave me a gentle nudge and opened the door for me.
We can spend a lifetime waiting for that ‘special call’ from God and miss the opportunities that He offers us day by day in our homes, churches and communities.
Prayer: Dearest Father, Thank You that You have planted me where I am. Please open my eyes to the opportunites You offer me day by day to be light and salt to those around me. In Jesus’ precious Name, Amen.
Angela Weir has been associated with Ellel Ministries from the very beginning, first as an associate member of the ministry team and later as an associate teacher. She trained as an actress before moving to Cumbria, where she taught drama in a girls’ school. She now teaches and ministers at various Ellel Centres.
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