If you know me, then you know that I have a thing for growing things. Succulents, veggies, an occasional house plant, they are all things I love. But my favorite are wildflowers. Any wildflower can change my outlook on just about anything.

Wildflower, defined as flowers which grow without planting, are amazing parts of botany that inspire and encourage me. Asters, roses, lilies, orchids, bellflowers and hundreds if not thousands more grow uninhibited across the US.

Wildflowers are resilient, beautiful and resourceful. They grow in places unexpected and they don’t just survive there. They thrive. These flowers find a tiny crack and sprout through it. They don’t need to be watered or fertilized because they just grow. They grow when people say they can’t. Have you ever tried to eliminate dandelions? They are wildflowers, and difficult to kill.

But all wildflowers are necessary. They create habitats for bees and butterflies which are necessary for ecosystems to survive. Wildflowers improve soil health, prevent erosion, and improve water quality. They increase yields, and enhance foraging conditions for livestock.

Friends, God is calling you to be a wildflower, not a houseplant.

We are not supposed to sit on a counter looking lovely and having our every need catered to us.

What are we supposed to be?

Wildflowers.

We grow where God plants us. Where others say we cannot survive, we thrive. We find a crack in our societal framework and we break through.

And sometimes dear ones, we are called weeds. Did you know the only difference between a weed and a wildflower is whether or not they are wanted. Both grow without intention, but one is judged more harshly.

There are some of you reading this post, right now, who feel unwanted. You feel you are inconvenient. You’ve grown somewhere that was unintended.

And yet you are radiant.

Our world is going to classify you as a weed because you’ve grown in their way. They believe your success and growth somehow inhibits theirs. But you are more than that. You are a wildflower. Why? Because being unwanted is someone’s opinion. Being inconvenient is someone’s perspective. Growing unintended makes you an opportunity, not a nuisance. You are necessary to the ecosystem you find yourself in.

Luke 12:27 says, “Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” Solomon, the wisest human in our documented history, was nothing compared to those flowers because those flowers shine without effort. The rain waters them. The soil needs no fertilizer because it is perfect the way it is, and so are you.

You don’t need anything except for what God gave you in order to grow. There is no need to worry, because you are provided for by God, just like the wildflowers.

God has gifted you and when you work within that giftedness, when you grow where God has planted you, you will begin to thrive. You will take over. Wildflowers don’t transplant well, because they were never intended to.

You have been placed where you are for a reason and you have everything you need to be successful there.

Being uncommon is being a wildflower.

Houseplants are weak. Have you tried moving one outside? Unless you have perfect conditions, perfect soil, perfect weather and water, they usually die. If you want to move a houseplant outside, you have to harden it. You have to expose it to bad weather. Expose it to harsh winds and rains. Then after time, it can exist in the wild.

Which one are you?

Are you wild and free, unashamed and trusting God to provide what you need?

Or are you protecting yourself from the elements, restricting your growth to the pot you inhabit and reliant on something or someone to care for you?

If you find yourself the latter, my beloved houseplant, it’s time to become a wildflower. Expose yourself to the harshness around you, and trust for provision.

Step out in faith and grow where God planted you.