Bloom Where You Are Planted

It isn’t a cliché nor is it a hook—it’s a Kingdom Principle.

I wrote this word last week but didn’t post it, and now I know why. This time of year draws me back. It invites me to slow down, to linger, and yet, even in the stillness, I feel the gentle stirring of the Lord’s work within me.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Bloom where you are planted.” But in the Kingdom, this isn’t a cliché nor is it a hook: It’s a Kingdom principle. One that breathes hope as the trees change colors and begin to show their bare bones.

Often, as seasons change externally, we too begin to feel a shift; it’s as if our humanity gives way, aligning with earth, and yet we are called a peculiar people. A Kingdom of kings and priests, seated in heaven yet walking the earth; Though all that is natural passes away, eternity abides within us.

For many, it might sound strange to talk about blooming in November, when everything around us is going into hibernation, but God’s Kingdom is never dormant. Heaven’s rhythm doesn’t mirror Earth’s seasons; it moves them, setting tempo, tone, and timing for what blooms below.

In the Beginning—Fruitful

The Lord has a sense of humor. He brought me back to the beginning, when God commanded humanity, “Be fruitful…” (Gen 1:28). That single word, “fruitful,” sent me on a deep dive with the Holy Spirit.

It’s no coincidence that “fruitfulness” precedes inheritance. If you’ve been walking with me for a while, you know the theme of inheritance is one the Lord has carved deep into my heart. During this time, I was reminded that fruitfulness isn’t something we manufacture; it’s the byproduct of grace. But it’s also the principle of possession, the way we walk into what God has given us.

Formation Before Fruit

In the Kingdom, fruitfulness is often the language of formation. It speaks to character, the slow and sacred work of the Spirit shaping us into the likeness of Christ. To be fruitful is to bear His nature. I had never thought about that until now. It is the Spirit’s evidence that we’ve allowed His life to take root in ours.

When we hear the word fruitful in Genesis, I’m not sure we make the connection; at least I didn’t, but they are deeply intertwined. God has always been concerned with our development. Once we see that, we begin to embrace His work within us, learning to depend on Him alone.

Consider this thought:

The fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, is Heaven’s way of saying, “You are safe for the next level.”

Because character precedes promotion.

Roots come before the bloom.

Formation before fruit.

Abide, Don’t Strive

As I sat with these thoughts, Scripture came to confirm it, reminding me that in every season, the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit (John 15:8). Not striving, but abiding. Not forcing, but flowing in grace.

Like many of you, I long for increase—for growth, influence, expansion. I often ask, “When, Lord?”

But, I realize, He loves me too much to let me step into something that my character cannot sustain. He waits until dependence is developed, until we are grounded in Him.

Because promotion in the Kingdom is not only about position but also posture.

It’s about trustworthiness, which is being safe in His hands, in essence, instead of running off with what He has given us, such as an idea, strategy, creative project, or vision; we, like Hannah with Samuel, surrender it back to Him.

We give the blessing back to Him in full because it isn’t a blessing apart from Him.

That’s when we trust that He’s not just our Provider—He is our Portion. His very presence is necessary, and we love His heart, not just His hand. This makes us safe to walk in what He has for us and also makes us safe for others.

The Word: Fruitful

The Hebrew word for “Fruitful” — פָּרָה (parah) meaning: to bear fruit, be fruitful, increase, bring forth, cause to grow. The root idea isn’t just biological multiplication but abundant productivity and flourishing resulting from divine blessing. God is in the mix. Think Isaac, not Ishmael—promise over performance.

“Be fruitful (פְּרוּ֥וּ peru)…” is the first blessing spoken over humanity—a creative mandate flowing from God’s own nature. Then I looked up the Greek equivalent “Fruitful” — καρποφορέω (karpophoreō) meaning: to bear fruit, yield fruit, produce fruit. The root, which is important, is from karpos (fruit) + phero (to bear or carry). Spiritual sense: to produce results that manifest the life of God within, and here is where this gets so interesting:

From Genesis to Jesus

Genesis 1:28 finds its fulfillment in Christ.

1. John 15:5 — Jesus, the True Vine

“He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit (polyn karpon); for without Me you can do nothing.”

🔹 karpophoreō is implied in the abiding relationship; true fruitfulness comes through union with Christ.

2. Romans 7:4 — Fruit unto God

“You also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ… that we should bear fruit (karpophorēsōmen) to God.”

🔹 Direct verb karpophoreō — showing that our “fruit” now springs from grace, not law.

3. Colossians 1:10 — Fruit in every good work

“…that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful (karpophorountes) in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

🔹 Mirrors Genesis 1:28 but in spiritual dimensions: multiplication, knowing God, and practical obedience.

4. Galatians 5:22–23 — The Fruit of the Spirit (karpos tou pneumatos), which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

🔹 The Spirit fulfills what the flesh never could, internal fruitfulness reflecting God’s image restored in Christ.

The Revelation

I want to leave you with: Our inheritance flows from being fruitful in Him before being fruitful for Him.

Like Adam and Eve, we have God Himself. When we are fruitful in our relationship with Him, seeing Him and enjoying Him, all the other things follow. It is the same word Jesus gave us in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

The Kingdom isn’t simply a place; it is a Person, for there is no Kingdom apart from the King. This is why His righteousness, in this verse, isn’t in addition to but something emphasized on.

Back to the Beginning

“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be (1) fruitful (parah—intimacy in and with Christ) and (2) multiply (rabah—increase, reproduce in faith); (3) fill (male’—to complete/fulfill, overflow with purpose) the earth and (4) subdue (kabash—to bring order, stewardship and alignment) it; have (5) dominion (radah—to rule/reign, kingdom authority) over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28.

Five commands all steeped in His divine grace.

Yet how quickly we reach for steps two through five for the multiplication, outpouring, authority, power; yet Heaven still whispers, “Be fruitful first.” For in Christ, we have all things, yet we walk them out little by little, possessing the promise step by step.

It is echoed in Exodus 23:30, “Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.” Increase here is parah, that is, fruitful, mature, and strong enough to inherit, implying growth through process.

Fruitfulness precedes possession. God doesn’t just hand us territory; He matures us to sustain it.

So, Beloved…

Bloom where you are planted.

For even here, in this soil and this season, He is making you fruitful.

You are already blessed because you have the King.

Rest in the Bridegroom’s love, and watch as everything unfolds, gracefully, beautifully, supernaturally from His hands.

Amen.

Andrea