Will You Bloom Where Planted?

“We’re all built to fight, but when we fight the wrong fight, we begin to break. You can’t bloom where you’re not supposed to be planted.” – Marshawn Evans Daniels, Believe Bigger: Discover the Path to Your Life Purpose

An incessant alarm blaring a repetitive chime disrupts the silence of a weekday morning. My eyelids snap open, and an immediate dread fills my body at the realization of what the alarm indicates: time to get ready for an eight-to-five shift. More than anything, I want to stop the ringing and return to the blissful oblivion that comes with slumber, but I know I can’t. Once again, I must toss the sheets aside, slide out of bed, and prepare for another day that promises unexpected and potentially unpleasant adventures. Even in my preparation, the dread refuses to leave, and soon anxiety joins in like a long-lost friend. Despite the short drive to the one-story red brick building, my mood remains, and I force my way inside the space after parking my car. I’m given my schedule for the day and then dutifully report for my first assignment.

            Each hour painstakingly goes by with children’s cries, unimpactful time outs, a run down the hall after an unruly child, and the messiness of lunchtime. Just some of the regular occurrences in a preschool. As the work shift nears the end and freedom seems almost within reach, it happens: the final straw. I can’t take this anymore. There has to be better than this; I’ve got to be doing something other than this. These thoughts from the defining incident combined with the boiled over frustration and knowing that all my insistence had fallen on deaf ears were the propeller that pushed me to leave. I’d given my typed-out and signed two weeks’ notice to the office once I’d returned from my lunch break that day and would not waver on the decision.

            Many valuable lessons were learned that day and a couple have been highlighted in Marshawn’s quote. Admittedly, ups and downs are characteristic of life. We’ll undoubtedly have to face storms to weather through and likely even encounter battles to overcome. Philippians 4:13 assures that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, and Romans 8:37 insists that we’re more than conquerors. However, some fights we were not meant to even be in; some paths we were not even intended to take or continue in our life’s journey. There are many ways that God directs and guides us. We have to be willing to listen and obey the instruction. When in that place I wasn’t meant to work and be in, it got increasingly uncomfortable to stay there. Before I’d even reached that breaking point, I’d considered my escape route. I’d been applying for new jobs, looked into going to graduate school, and prayed for direction. Deep down, I knew I wasn’t meant to stay there and would eventually have to leave, but I did initially allow doubt to convince me to stay until I had no choice but to walk away.

            Now that you’ve read about that experience, I want you to reconsider the question that serves as the title of this post and answer it for yourself. If you find yourself experiencing some of the signs mentioned—like discomfort, frustration, dread, and discontent—and you’re drawn to something different (a new job, childhood dreams that once seemed impossible, a goal that keeps coming back to your mind, etc.), then the answer to the question might be ‘no’ just for that current moment while you’re in that specific place. If so, I hope this encourages you to make the move toward where you are meant to be or even just prepare to make that leap. In doing so, the hope is that you’ll eventually reach a place where you can bloom where you’re planted. Lastly, I want to end with the following poem that was inspired by Marshawn’s quote; it reiterates the importance of walking the path you’re destined to take and what occurs when you don’t.

Bloom

I want to paint a picture—more like a scene for you to see the importance of a quote.

For, it was Marshawn Evans Daniels who wrote:

“We’re all built to fight, but when we fight the wrong fight, we begin to break.

You can’t bloom where you’re not supposed to be planted.”

Two powerful statements with profound meaning

That caused me to think of a season

When I operated in doubt and uncertainty.

It was a time of dread, discontent, and discomfort.

A place where I wanted to discard the boxing gloves and leave the ring.

Simply, I was fighting a battle I wasn’t meant to be in.

Consequently, it was wearing me down.

I’d exchanged my joy for despair

And peace for frustration;

I had put my God-given gifts in a tucked away box,

Refusing to use them and accepting that this is where I should be.

Initially, I chose what I thought was a safe choice

Instead of the challenging one for fear of failure.

But I knew that wasn’t where I should be

Because increasingly the environment became unbearable to stay in.

I knew I’d eventually have to leave.

That’s exactly what I did once reaching the breaking point—

When I realized enough was enough.

That the safe option wasn’t worth my peace and sanity.

Despite adapting to the rules and regulations of the position,

It wasn’t my long-term mission,

And, thus, the conditions became unpleasant.

It was something like this:  

A seed buried deep in the rich dirt that it’s been sown into.

With time, it absorbs the water and nutrients

Until eventually a sprout springs forth, breaking through the dirt’s surface.

Thus far, mother nature’s sunny, bright demeanor

With warm temperatures by day and hidden rest by night cultivated the plant.

However, those get replaced with frigid winds,

Frost-bitten despondency and unbearable, freezing degrees.

This causes stunted growth, for the conditions are too rough for the living to grow.

So, it is imperative to be, do, and go where God’s intended for you

To see fruit harvested in your life.

When you’re not, there’s no way you can thrive.

You’ll just be trying to survive an uncomfortable place

Until you finally make the decision to not stay.    

Ultimately, all I’m trying to say is let God lead the way

And trust that He’ll provide provision for the promise

And the pathway He’s destined just for you.

Doubt, Fear, and maybe even their other friends may try to talk you out of it,

But don’t listen.

Let the Word of God get deeply rooted in you.

Let it be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path (Psalm 119:105),

And keep in mind that “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

So, when it’s time, move on to where you should be planted and

Bloom.

 © 2025 by Andréa Hardaway  

Thanks for reading! 😊