Do you remember that old song?
I was thinking about it this week and how people like to say when life is hard...”Well, God never promised you a rose garden”
Or....did He?
As we think about our journey this week, let’s take a moment to compare it to the rose garden. The first thing you always notice is the beautiful bloom. Different colors, different sizes, different stages of maturity. That certainly reminds us that we, the roses in His garden are all different. Some roses are long lasting, some open quickly and are just as quickly spent, some blooms remain hard, tight buds that never open and reach their beautiful potential.
Next, as we get closer, we notice the fragrance. I believe this is like the Holy Spirit in our lives. Some roses have a perfume that is barely noticeable...others fill the room with a heady aroma.
As we draw closer still...we see the thorns. We tend to see the thorns as that which cause us pain...we touch them and we can bleed. We want the thorns stripped away.
But what does the gardener see?
The Gardener knows that the thorns are there to protect the Rose...Just as God’s Word protects us...just as He puts up barriers, or thorns, to protect us from those people and circumstances that would rip us away from Him.
The Gardener knows the work that has been done for the Rose to reach this stage of maturity. He alone knows of the weeds and pests that have tried to choke the life out of the Rose and keep that beautiful flower from blooming. He alone knows how much water, fertilizer, staking, and yes...pruning the Rose needs to reach her fullest potential.
This week, my sweet Roses....submit yourselves to the Master Gardener as He works in you to bring you into full, beautiful, fragrant maturity.
Lucille Grantham Seelye
Guest blogger
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