::being transplanted::


Once upon a time... there was a gardener who planted a little seed in the rich, fertile soil of Portland, Oregon. The gardener gave the seed plenty of water, sunlight and nutrition. He nurtured it for a long time, in hopes that one day it would grow and sprout. After nearly 12 years, the seed did sprout, coming out of the darkness into the light. However, soon after the seed had sprouted, the gardener transplanted the now-sprout across the country to the thinner, rockier soil of Deering, New Hampshire. This little plant had to decide if it wanted to grow. The soil was different. The water tasted weird. The sunlight didn't feel the same. And the plant didn't get the same nourishment that it was used to.

But... the gardener hadn't left the plant. In fact, the gardener was still faithfully tending the plant, encouraging it to grow in this new environment. It took the plant a little while but it eventually started to put down roots. It began to stretch up towards the sunlight, soaking up the good things that it had to offer. The plant learned to grow using the new nutrition that was around it. The plant blossomed and had its moments of beauty. Storms still came and tried to blow the plant down. The plant had to hold fast to its roots and trust that the gardener wouldn't let it be destroyed. The plant persevered through the rain and wind and came out wiser and better on the other side. This plant got transplanted temporarily both to Uruguay and to Quebec where it grew in new ways and learned more about how to be a taller and stronger plant. Then, after 6 years, the gardener transplanted this plant to the Midwest which is a whole different story in itself.


I've been transplanted more than once. It's something that I still struggle with as I move between home and school. I like being rooted in one place. I'll dig myself in deeply and love the place where I am and the people who I'm surrounded by. That's what happened to me in Portland which is why it was so painful when we moved. Then it happened again at the Mansion as I've been in New Hampshire for the past 7 years. Which is why I had an emotionally challenging freshman year. But the roots are starting to go out here at Wheaton. I have seen new leaves come out since becoming a college student. I see the nutrition that Wheaton is offering me that I won't get anywhere else and I'm eager to take it in so that it will stretch me academically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I'm on the journey of sanctification and becoming more Christ-like with everyone else.

Each time I've been transplanted, it seems like all I have is God, my faithful gardener, in the midst of a new and strange environment. I want to shrink inside myself, not sure of what to do or if I can trust the people around me. The food tastes weird and I want to be loved and nurtured the way I was before. But God has pushed me outside of my comfort zone so that I've tried new things and made relationships that I continue to cherish to this day. Some of the leaves and flowers have cost me many tears and much heartache while other ones are by-products of wonderful joy and delight. I can't decide how I'm going to grow but I know that if I entrust myself into His hands, I will in the best ways though usually not the easiest. So if you struggle with being transplanted, new environments and being stretched, I'm right there with you and so is the ever-loving, patient and wise gardener.

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