Fresh Eyes & Bible Surprises | Rooted Where It Matters: When Growth Isn’t Glamorous but God-Given

Thriving in the Soil You Didn’t Pick

Intro: When God Plants You Somewhere You Didn’t Pick (and You're Still a Little Salty About It)

You ever feel like God hit the pause button on your life and forgot to hit play again?

Yeah. Been there. Still there some days, honestly.

A few years ago, I found myself in a situation that was entirely outside my control. One domino fell, then another, and next thing I knew—I was living in a state I had never once put on my “someday I’ll move there” list. I wasn’t “called” there. I wasn’t excited. I was… planted.

And let me be real: I wasn’t thrilled about it.
Some days, I’m still not.

Because where I used to live? I could eat Thai one day and Greek the next. I had access to bookstores and concerts, farmer’s markets and fun little indie coffee shops. There were job options, cultural events, and Target wasn’t a 45-minute road trip. And the food? Oh, the food. Now I’m in a place with approximately 79 different pizza joints, a suspicious number of fast food chains, and until recently, that was the entire local culinary scene.

Oh, and the job market? Unless I wanted to drive an hour each way or settle for part-time retail—slim pickings.

But here’s the thing: when I zoom out and take a Holy Spirit aerial view, I can see something I couldn’t before.

God brought me out of a place that’s become increasingly violent. Where costs have skyrocketed. Where the air feels heavier with tension. And He brought me into a place where I could do something I never expected—I could stay home, care for my mom, and build something that’s been stirring in my soul for years:

This faith venture.
This ministry.
This spiritual battle briefing I now call Operation Wildflower.

Because I wasn’t buried here—I was planted.

“Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive…” —Psalm 92:13

That word—planted—hit different. It’s not passive. It’s not punishment.
It’s purposeful.

When God plants you, it’s not just to watch you wither—it’s to make you thrive where you are, even if it’s not where you thought you’d be.

And yes, I miss the Thai food.
But I wouldn’t trade the peace, the purpose, and the clarity I’ve gained for all the falafel in the world.

Scriptural Base: Psalm 92:12–15 (CSB)

“The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon.
Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green,
to declare, ‘The Lord is just; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’”

This isn’t just poetic garden imagery—it’s a divine strategy manual.

God is telling us something profound here:

• You weren’t just randomly dropped somewhere. You were planted.

• You weren’t meant to dry out and fade. You’re going to thrive.

• And that whole "you’re too old to make an impact" thing? Lie. He says you'll still be fruitful even in your later years—healthy, green, and loudly declaring His righteousness.

Palm trees don’t break in storms—they bend.
Cedars don’t grow fast—but they grow strong.
So when God says the righteous will thrive like those, He’s not promising easy—He’s promising resilient.

This passage reminds us:
👉 God doesn’t plant you without purpose.
👉 He doesn’t root you without reason.
👉 And He certainly doesn’t leave you in the dirt without watering you with His Word.

Hidden Pearls from the Dirt God Planted You In

Pearl #1: Planted ≠ Punished

Let’s be real. When life uproots you and sets you down in a place you didn’t choose, it can feel like exile. Punishment. Divine ghosting.

But Psalm 92 doesn’t say “dumped in the courts of our God.”
It says planted.

That means you were:

• Chosen.

• Positioned.

• Covered.

• Rooted for a reason.

You may feel stuck. But heaven calls it strategically stationed.

Pearl #2: Thriving Looks Different in the Kingdom

When we think of “thriving,” we imagine blooming, booming, overflowing life. Hashtag: #Blessed.

But what if thriving actually looks like:

• Staying put when everything in you wants to run?

• Finding strength in hiddenness?

• Producing faith fruit when you don’t have external applause?

Palm trees don’t rush. Cedars don’t sprint. But both are symbols of endurance and Kingdom-caliber stability. Maybe thriving is less about more and more about root-deep resilience.

Pearl #3: Where You Are Isn’t Random—It’s Revival Soil

You didn’t get dropped here like a bad GPS reroute. You’ve been intentionally rooted in the exact place where someone needs to see God through you.

Even the hard ground has a harvest.
Even the overlooked zip code has a mission.
Even the pizza-saturated wilderness (bless it) is sacred if God planted you there.

When you see your location as assignment instead of accident, everything shifts.

Pearl #4: God Grows Wildflowers, Not Houseplants

Houseplants need climate control, filtered sunlight, and daily encouragement or they curl up and die.
Wildflowers?
They break through sidewalks, bloom in droughts, and somehow find beauty in rubble.

If God made you a wildflower, stop trying to fit into a greenhouse life.
Your growth was meant to be gritty, bold, and free.

REAP Method: Psalm 92:12–15 – Planted for Purpose

R – Read the Passage

“The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon.
Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green,
to declare, ‘The Lord is just; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’”
—Psalm 92:12–15 (CSB)

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E – Examine the Details

• Righteous = thriving. Not just surviving—thriving. And not in perfect conditions either. These are palm trees and cedars. Trees that bend in storms, grow in craggy soil, and don’t snap under pressure.

• Planted in God’s house. Not self-potted. Not tossed in a ditch. Planted. On purpose. In holy ground.

• Still bearing fruit in old age. This one slaps the retirement gospel upside the head. There’s no expiration date on spiritual fruitfulness.

• Why do they thrive? Because their lives are proof: “The Lord is just… there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Our growth isn’t just about us—it’s about His glory.

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A – Apply the Truth

• Are you resisting where God has planted you because it feels hard, dry, or hidden?

• Do you believe you can’t grow unless conditions are perfect?

• Have you settled for surviving when you’re actually called to thrive?

Truth: You might not be where you wanted to be—but you’re exactly where God wants to grow something deep.
This passage reminds us that spiritual fruit doesn’t depend on comfort. It depends on being rooted in God’s presence.

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P – Pray it Out

Prayer: When I’d Rather Be Anywhere Else, Lord…

Lord, I’ll admit it—I didn’t ask to be planted here.

Some days I still stare at the dirt around me and think, Really, God? This is where You wanted me?
But Your Word doesn’t say I was dropped. It says I was planted.

So today, I choose to lean into that.
Water me with truth. Pull the weeds of bitterness and comparison.
Shore up my roots when the winds of frustration blow hard.

Remind me that thriving doesn’t always feel glamorous—it feels grounded.
It looks like faithfulness in obscurity.
It looks like blooming in places people overlook.
It looks like bearing fruit when others thought I was finished.

And Lord, when I doubt?
When I want to run?
When I long for takeout options that don’t involve pepperoni and regret?

Whisper to me again that You haven’t abandoned me. You’ve assigned me.
And in this place—on this plot of holy ground—
You’re growing something eternal.

Amen.