Why We Should Bloom Where God Plants Us, Even if It's Not Where We Wanted

Over 150 years ago, a young man's dream of becoming a missionary looked as though it was finally coming true. As the nervous young man sat in the mission agency's office, he assured the interviewer that he and his new bride were committed to working hard, managing their resources as good stewards, and seeing that Christ was shared with as many people as possible.

He was confident that everything was coming together for their future, and what a great feeling that was.

But soon it looked like his dream would fall apart. During their cross-cultural preparation, his wife became sick and quickly realized she could never endure the rigors of living overseas. She was far too fragile and frail to serve long-term on the African continent and would certainly die if she tried.

Confused and emotionally crushed, the young man went to work for his father—a dentist with a small side business that produced unfermented wine for church communion services.

As his father grew older, the young man took over the side business. One day, it struck him that perhaps he could still touch the world for Christ. He could still fulfill the words he had spoken to the mission representative that day. He would work hard, be a good steward of his resources, and see that Christ became known to as many people as possible—he would just do it in a different way. He would keep his promise by financially supporting others who could go overseas as missionaries.

He worked hard and eventually built the company into a huge enterprise. What was his name? Welch.

Today his grape juice is sold throughout the United States and in approximately 40 countries around the globe. And Mr. Welch has given huge sums of money to the cause of world missions. Ironically, he has likely done far more for world evangelism than he could have by working in the field himself.

Because he adapted to his circumstances and blossomed where he was planted, he became a valuable partner in missions around the world.

Don't put limits on what God might have in store for you. You can have fulfillment from a broken dream. God's not done with you yet!