Planted on Purpose
When you’re under thirty, it’s easy to think you are always on your way to someplace else. You plan to graduate and move on. College is just what you’re doing for a set of semesters. Working as an assistant isn’t the career goal—this is what you’re doing until you have an assistant of your own. Someday, when you’re the boss or married, you’ll settle down and make an impact. Someday, you’ll finally reach the place where God can use you. But if you focus only on the future, you could miss what God is doing right now. God had a purpose for putting you in your current workplace, with your current roommates, in your current sorority, or on your current team. Right where you are, people need Jesus, and they could encounter his love, compassion, and grace through you. You are not where you are by accident. He chose this place for you and you for this place. In Jeremiah 17:7-8, the prophet describes an opportunity—a choice, to thrive by trusting in the Lord. “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (NIV) In this passage, let’s find the vision to believe your present place is as essential as the down-the-road destination. You have been planted right where you are—for a purpose. Planted So People Can Watch You Love Jesus The star of the Jeremiah passage isn’t the tree; it’s the water. After all, the gospel life isn’t, “Try hard to be a better tree.” The gospel life is, “Send your roots into the stream.” Jesus is our living water. Delight yourself in the Lord. Abide in him. Soak in his word and spend time in worship. Then, show up to the meeting, apartment, or rehearsal with a full and satisfied heart. Mention how glad you are to know Jesus. Give him credit for answered prayer. Openly love him, thank him, and live the truth of Colossians 3:4, that Jesus is your life. Find your confidence in him and grow like Jeremiah’s tree—tall and healthy, a spreading canopy loaded with leaves, heavy with fruit. Planted So People Can Watch You Endure Heat Plans change, layoffs happen, rent goes up, and cars break down. Do not fear when the heat comes. With Jesus, nothing is wasted. A challenging season can be a fruitful season. If life takes a turn, be real about the disappointment while showing how a Christian holds on and endures. The scripture promises that the stream keeps the leaves green. Your green leaves become shade for others going through their own experience of heat. So, if things at work go sideways, or if a roommate announces they are moving out, do not fear. Quiet trust and steadfast hope persuade those watching that heat hits differently for followers of Jesus. Bad things still happen, but the foundation holds. Maybe God planted you where you are to give hope to those who will see him carry you through. Planted So People Can Watch You Trust God in a Drought A drought means waiting for much-needed rain. Waiting on God is difficult. It’s tempting to drift toward worry and panic, but God has a purpose in the delay. Your drought might be waiting to secure the internship required by your major. Or you’ve been waiting for that first promotion since getting hired. Or you’re waiting for your forever person, without a cloud in the sky, to suggest the dry spell will end soon. When your confidence is in the Lord, and you work to stiff-arm worry and resist panic—God is glorified. Let people around you see contentment and peace with God’s timing and plan. Many are also on their way to a future beyond graduation, into family life, and ascent through the workforce. Talking about your trust while waiting could help them meet Jesus. Planted So People Can Enjoy the Fruit God Produces This is the final part of our Jeremiah passage. The one who trusts in the Lord, whose roots rest deep in his life, becomes a bountiful source of good. Abide in the Son and keep in step with the Spirit where the Father has planted you—then watch him produce the fruit (John 15:5,8; Galatians 5:22-25). Fruitfulness glorifies God and blesses fraternity brothers, coworkers, group project teammates, and your weekend friend group. Part of why God planted you is to let others taste the goodness of what his life produces. So serve them, humble yourself, and do good for them. Demonstrate the unselfish love Jesus is growing in you. Show them honor—let them go first and choose to go last. Be generous and self-sacrificing—give them a ride, help them move, or cover this month’s grocery bill. If they share news of some difficulty, show up as a friend with care and support. And pray for them. Let them know you will ask God to respond to their needs. The Time is Now Kingdom influence and gospel impact are not someday opportunities. God wants to use you before you get the degree, the official title, or your own family. Trust Him. He will shepherd your steps into the future and work through your relationships right now. Put your confidence in him. Partner with the Father to bring glory to Jesus and to see lives change. Give thanks for this current season and thrive where you’ve been planted, making the most of every opportunity.
