Hope Like a Rosebush

For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking; but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. - Romans 14:17

I’ve never been very good at keeping things alive.

It’s true.

I’ve watched countless house plants slowly wilt to the floor, and fresh blooms on newly planted bushes drop lifelessly into the dirt, their crunchy petals swept away with the breeze. I’ve taken the vacuum to piles and piles of dead leaves resting on windowsills just under the sickly plant I realize I should have watered weeks ago.

It’s a problem.

Perhaps this is why when I randomly happen by a bright colorful flower or a tall arching Pecan tree on my morning walk, I have to stop and marvel. There’s something about those vibrant colors and healthy stems that just get me, and I often get a little carried away with the “oohs” and “awes”.

The distraction typically lasts at least a few minutes – longer if the lighting is just right for a photograph or two.

It’s not surprising, then, that my own little rose bushes planted just a couple months ago outside my home have been struggling. One is wilting. One is dying. One is just plain broken.

However, when I walked by them a couple weeks ago, I noticed one little pink rose had somehow managed to push through the strife – and it stopped me dead in my tracks. A rose? Alive? And blooming?! How can that be?? I knelt down and simply stared at it, appreciating the rich color and textured edges of its soft petals. After a few moments, my eyes wandered down the sad row of brown thorns and dried up leaves, and as I studied the overall picture looking for an explanation, I knew there was none.

Except…

God.

Only He could produce something so beautiful amongst such dark and treacherous surroundings. And you see, I am that pink rose.

So are YOU.

Our world is full of rattled plants and dried up roots, is it not? Broken hearts and violent unrest, and sin that seems to saturate even the strongest of our society has us sunk and drowning in waves of worry. It’s overwhelming and so very, very heavy - watching the disruption of what we once thought was a place full of new beginnings. That vision seems to be withering away like the leaves on a starving houseplant.

But y’all, God is still doing amazing things.

He’s using you and me to carry the beautiful truth of His promises, and he’s popping up in bright colors in places across the world!  And yes, I know the book of Revelation. The so-called improvements we might recognize here and there will not be sustained forever. But God’s promises for our lives will be! That’s why, after much grief and disappointment in my life, and a continuing ache for comfort and renewal, I still believe.

I believe in shared coffee with good friends, and sunshine on a cold day.

I believe in beautiful colors of changing leaves in Autumn, and a brilliant white blanket of new snow in the Winter.

I believe in clean crisp air on an early Spring morning, and fresh rainfall after weeks of drought.

I believe in the healing smile of an innocent child, and eyes of wisdom in the creviced face of an elderly man.

I believe in music that touches the soul, and kind words that repair broken hearts.

Y’all, I simply believe.

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. – 1 Thessalonians 2:13

God is not done with us yet! He is moving, and as long as we allow His working hands to intervene in our lives, He will continue to do great things, even through this evident pain and turmoil.

Hang on to your rose, friends. New blooms are coming!

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