January 28, 2008 at 10:59 pm (A Rose by Any Other Name)
Tags: God is Love, Rose of Sharon, Thorns
Roses! Masterpiece of art,
From our great Creator’s heart!
Colorful and fragrant too,
Sparkling fresh with speckled dew.
Petals fashioned with such grace,
Glowing beauty on each face.
As they smile and look above,
Seems they whisper, “God is Love!”
No words are there to well portray
The beauty of a rose display.
Amidst the thorns, they glow and shine
With glory from His hand divine.
And hearts are thrilled, drawn with love’s glow
To gaze in joy where roses grow.
But there’s a Rose more lovely far
Than anywhere rose gardens are.
The Rose of Sharon whom we love,
Who came from His bright throne above.
Our hearts are drawn to Him each day,
Our Savior and the Life, the Way!
Whose saving grace, whose loving power,
Can guard our lives each day, each hour.
We too can shine, in Him reborn,
Though plagued so oft by sin’s sharp thorn.
If we just come and gaze and pray,
His beauty soon our lives display.
Sin’s thorns in life soon will be gone,
When He comes back, Oh glorious dawn!
The Rose of Sharon, brigher far
Than anywhere rose gardens are!
Let’s take the time to stand and gaze
And learn of Him, love’s caring ways!
by Elma Helgason
for Creation Illustrated magazine
Only God could have created something so beautiful from thorns. And if He did that, He can help us grow something beautiful from the thorns in our life.
Blessings, Cricket
3 Comments
January 15, 2008 at 9:03 pm (A Rose by Any Other Name)
Tags: God's Will, Inspiration, Roses
The rose is my absolute favorite flower! Over the years I have been blessed to receive many roses, sometimes a breathtaking bouquet and sometimes a delicate single rose. To be honest, I enjoy both the same. I do not have a particular color I like more than another but prefer a bouquet to be all one color. I also have a small collection of roses - pictures, ceramic, jewel boxes, etc. Because I love roses so much, I thought I would add a rose category to my blog. I hope you enjoy these roses as much as I do.
Unfolding the Rose
A young, new preacher was walking with an older, more seasoned preacher in the garden one day and feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do. He was inquiring of the older preacher, “How can I be sure what God’s Will is for my ministry?” The older preacher walked up to a rosebush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals.
The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the WILL OF GOD for his life and for his ministry. Because of his high respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to TRY to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact… It wasn’t long before he realized how impossible it was to do so.
Noticing the younger preacher’s inability to unfold the rosebud while keeping it intact, the older preacher began to recite the following poem…
It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God’s design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.
The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
God opens this flower so sweetly,
When in my hands they fade and die.
If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God’s design,
Then how can I think I have wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?
So I’ll trust in Him for His leading
Each moment of every day.
I will look to him for His guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way.
The pathway that lies before me,
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.
~© Bryan T. Burgess ~
3 Comments
