That's What Makes You Beautiful

Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of. -Charles Spurgeon

We have been talking a lot about trials lately, and how we need to draw close to God during the trials. When we draw close to him, he will give us the strength to get to the other side and become the beautiful rose we are meant to be, but that doesn't mean that you will never experience a trial again. Trails are a part of life, but this shouldn't discourage you. It should encourage you. It should give you hope that in the future you will be a better person than you are now; that God isn't finished with you yet. If you feel like you've messed up, God offers you forgiveness and a way to become better if you only draw close to him and be willing to do what he says. Trials, yes they can hurt, yes they can seem to last forever, but that's what makes you beautiful. That's how God forms your blossom into a beautiful rose!

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast" (1 Peter 5:10).

Withering Rose

To flee unto God is the only stay which can support us in our afflictions, the only armor which renders us invincible -John Calvin

Many of us are becoming like withering roses in life. We have faced many trials, and don't feel like facing any more. When trials come our way, instead of standing strong and drawing close to God for such strength, we try to ignore the trial, hoping it will go away. The problem is: this is causing a withering of our hearts.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Trials are what molds us. The trials in our lives shape us into who God wants us to be. If you don't try to learn anything, or don't stand strong and don't draw close to God through your trial, then your rose won't grow (which is God's intention: for us to become stronger and better people through our hardships once we reach the other side). Instead, our hearts will begin to wither when we don't trust God throughout the trials. We will feel lost, depressed, and discouraged because we lack the hope that God offers us. God wants us to be steadfast throughout our trials by trusting and relying on Him. Only then will our rose be able to grow to the flower God wants it to be. Only then will we feel a peace like no other, because of the hope God gives us. God gives us hope, courage, strength, and peace in our hearts and minds!

Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take. Joshua 1:9

Thorns of Laziness

"The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns" Proverbs 15:19 Thorns are the part of a rose that noone cares for. I don't think any of us like picking up the beautiful flower, only to be pricked by a nasty thorn on its stem. All of us have thorns in our lives. When I say this, many of you will begin to think of thorns you must deal with. You will more than likely think of a trial you're going through, or a job that you detest doing, or maybe even a specific person who irritates you. But today we are going to focus on our OWN thorns. The thorns AKA things we do that destroy our character. Specifically: the thorns of laziness. All of us are lazy in one way, shape, or form. The Bible has a lot to say about laziness, especially in the book of Proverbs. God says that laziness gets a person nowhere. We could speak a lot about the wrong of being lazy, but lets focus on spiritual laziness. In Hebrews 6, it begins with a calling for people to grow and mature in their faith. Spiritual maturity can be defined in many ways, but in verse seven it is described as being "Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed [and will receive] the blessing of God." Spiritual immaturity or lack of faith is described as "land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned" There is such thing as being spiritually lazy, and this is a very dangerous spot to be in. When your life isn't showing any signs of your faith in Jesus Christ, you are spiritually lazy. The fact is: when you are in Gods word more, you will begin to learn and should apply what you learn. God blesses you for your obedience and faithfulness. "Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper" Proverbs 13:4. "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." Hebrews 6:10-12. Don't you want Gods blessing? Don't you want to be known for being close to God and not for being spiritually lazy? Then pick up your dusty Bible and don't just read it, but actually apply it to your daily life! Laziness will entangle you in its thorns, but Jesus Christ can free you from those thorns if you simply allow him to!

Dealing with the Complexity of Our Roses

"The flowers of most species have five petals, with the exception of Rosa sericea, which usually has only four. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink, though in a few species yellow or red. Beneath the petals are five sepals (or in the case of some Rosa sericea, four). These may be long enough to be visible when viewed from above and appear as green points alternating with the rounded petals. There are multiple superior ovaries that develop into achenes".......Wow! I don't know about you, but that seems really complex to me. Roses are very complex flowers. They have many different parts that make them into the beautiful flowers that they are. Without even one of these parts, it wouldn't make the rose that we all adore. Roses, as we know resemble us and our lives, and I'm sure we all can agree that our lives and ourselves are very complicated and complex. The thing is: we all make things complicated. We blame all the work we must do or other people for the bad moods we are in or the stress and anxiety we feel, but really: WE are the ones who CHOOSE to let the stress get to us. We have a choice whether or not to let our bad moods be determined by the things needed to get done or the words people say. We can't let work and people be our excuses as to why we are how we are or why we act how we act. It's time to take responsibility for our rose. It's time to realize that we need to not take life so seriously, and instead focus on Jesus who makes everything less complicated. He can take away our overwhelming feelings of stess from things needed to get done and he can take away those confusing emotions and replace it with a peace that surpasses all understanding. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

Rose of Death

A black rose obviously isn't something you want to give as a gift to someone you love. Black is the color which has always been associated with death and the dark side of human nature. Whether we like it or not, we all have a blackness inside of us. What do we call this "dark side"? Sin. Let's look closer at the word. Sin leads to consequences: death. It can be death of a relationship, death of an opportunity, death of trust, physical death, etc. Deciding to try drugs for the first time as a result of falling into peer pressure can lead to physical death. Deciding to lie to someone you love can lead to trust issues forming between you and that person when they find out the truth you have been trying to conceal. Deciding to post a status on facebook cussing out a friend of yours for something they did could cost you an opportunity for work when the employer checks your facebook and decides you are not a respectable enough person for the job. If you take a careful look at your life, most, if not all, of your sin has led to negative consequences and repercussions. The good news is, death can be followed by rebirth, and that is why black roses inspire many to start afresh. When we look at our sinful selves, the blackness we have in our lives, we should open our eyes to the fact that we need to change and that true,lasting change can only come through Jesus Christ. He offers a fresh start; 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Any day, any time, Christ offers us a new beginning. Open your eyes to the blackness of your rose and let God transform it into the beautiful creation he meant it to be!

Deeply Rooted

Seen in the picture above are the instructions for planting a rose. What is the most important step that the instructions are trying to get across? The key points are to make sure that the rose is buried deeply and securely, locking in moisture. In the same way, our lives need to be buried deeply and securely in Jesus. In Luke 6:47-48, Jesus says, "I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built." When we are constantly in the Bible looking up the promises God gives us, the comforting words he provides for us, the commands he communicates to us, then we are placing Jesus as our foundation. When we are buried deeply and securely in Jesus, then even when our lives seem to be falling apart, he will hold us up. He will give you a peace in the midst of the storm. Don't let your rose simply rest on the surface.

The Impossible

A lot of times in life, we find ideas, situations, goals, etc to be impossible rather than possible. We view the glass half empty rather than half full. We give up after we've just started, with no motivation to go on. People tell us to keep trying, stay strong. The media relays countless accounts of others who show such strength. Artists sing about staying strong and getting back up after a tragedy. But in the midst of a tragedy in our OWN lives, it seems impossible to live up to those expectations. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" seems like a false hope. The tragedy SEEMS to be killing us; eating us alive inside. How do we gain the courage and strength to keep going on when all seems lost? We don't- Jesus does. We don't have the ability to carry on, that's why we must depend on our creator and His Word to bring us through. Luke 1:37, "For nothing is impossible with God." God is God. He can do anything. He can bring you through your trial. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). The blue rose stands for the unattainable, the impossible. The good news? The blue rose is artificial, not real. It is man-made. And that itself symbolizes that we are the ones who put the false idea in our heads that something is impossible when, in fact, nothing is impossible with God.

Handling Your Rose with Care

So often we want God's promises, his protection, his care over our rose, but we don't want to be the ones who do any work. We don't want to obey God, we don't want to take time out of our day to get to know him, we decide to skip church to sleep in; and who is this hurting? Ourselves. God doesn't NEED us, but he wants us to join him! When we don't, WE are the ones at a loss. A flower bud which takes in water, but doesn't use it to blossom into a beautiful rose is useless. The same applies to our lives. If we know what to do and how to obey God to transform us into the beautiful rose we are meant to be and don't do it, we are useless! If we aren't focusing on that which lasts(Jesus Christ), and rather focus all our energies on the things of this world, which in the end will waste away, then of what use are we? "The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever," (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Handle your rose with care; focus on the internal, not just the external. "[Your focus] should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." (1 Peter 3:4). Focus on the spiritual more than the physical, for the physical will waste away, but the spiritual lasts forever.

The Orange Rose

When you think of a rose, pink or red are probably the first colors which come to mind, but there are also orange roses. Orange roses are meant to symbolize enthusiasm or desire. They may be called "fiery blooms," because of their underlying message of passion and excitement. Looking at the Bible, Jesus is always calling believers to passionately share their faith. He doesn't want us to just SAY we believe in Him and go to church on Sundays as part of our weekly ritual, but he wants us to take ACTION! Proverbs 12:14 says, "People will be rewarded for what they say, but they will also be rewarded for what they do!" James, the half brother of Jesus Christ and also one of His disciples, states very clearly that faith and actions go hand in hand. "Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this [life] if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup- where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?" (James 2:14-17). James is trying to say that Jesus wants us to be fired up for Him! He wants us to have such enthusiasm and desire for Him that it is seen in our actions! Instead of just attending church and having a glazed look on our face, not really paying attention to the message being preached, we need to PAY ATTENTION, so we can go LIVE what we learn! Pam Gibbs said "The things you do because you believe in God and His Word breathe life into your faith!" So let your faith come alive! Let God turn your black rose of dead faith into an orange rose of enthusiasm to go out and live for Him!

The True Gardener

We are the roses, so who is the gardener? The answer obviously is Jesus Christ. But if he is the gardener, than how come we don't always recognize him as so? Sometimes we like to switch roles. “In their hearts humans plan their course, but THE LORD establishes their steps.”(Proverbs 16:9). It's easier for us to be the gardener and God the rose than to have to deal with blossoming the way Christ wants us to. We tend to make God what we want him to be. We don't like to change, so we ignore the parts of the Bible that tell us what we are doing wrong, and we only pay attention to the parts that tell us what we are doing right. But as said in the quote in the picture above, we need to let God carve away the parts that aren't supposed to be there. In order to truly become the roses that Christ wants us to be, we have to give him the tools. He is the only one who can change us; we can't truly change ourselves. If we want a change that LASTS, than we have to put the tools in the TRUE gardener's hands, and let him carve away anything not apart of the original design. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”(Jeremiah 29:11).

The Rose of Friendship

A yellow rose represents friendship, joy, and caring. A bouquet of these sun-filled blossoms conveys warmth, gladness, and affection. Every red rose needs a yellow rose in their life. We all need one person to call friend. That one person that we can tell everything to. The one person that is there for us in the good times and bad. The one we can go to for advice when we don't seem to know what to do. Jesus Christ tells us in the bible we need a friend like this. Now how are we to know the qualities of a genuine yellow rose? C.S. Lewis once said, "The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are." How do you define wise? Wise in the bible is knowing the Word and living by it. A genuine yellow rose is blossoming in the Lord. They love Jesus Christ and they live their life, not perfectly (since no one is perfect), but based upon the Word of God. Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." Choose a WISE friend. Why is it important to have a wise friend? Why is it important to have close friendships even though we already have God? "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). Just as bad company corrupts good morals, good company increases good morals. (1 Corinthians 15:33). When you are around a person who is a follower of Jesus, it ends up influencing you. Those sort of people help you blossom at an even faster rate! An example of such a loving and blossoming friendship can be found in Ruth and Naomi. "Ruth said [to Naomi], “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-17). You know you have a true friend when they stick by you no matter what! That is a true yellow rose! The question is: are you that friend? Are you that yellow rose to someone else? If not, find someone! Friendship is vital in the Christian life! So go let your sun-filled blossom shine!

The Satisfied Rose

Many of us allow people and circumstances to determine our joy level. When we do so, our joy level doesn't end up very high; in actuality, it runs low 90% of the time. If we plan to do something and it doesn't get done for one reason or another, our day is ruined. If our parents, significant other, brother, sister, etc says (or doesn't say) something that hurts our feelings, we seem to focus on it more than anything else the rest of the day. Is there a way to solve our dissatisfaction problem? The answer is yes: if you try to please God and God alone, you'll find yourself satisfied with life..."You [God] make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). If we focus on satisfying Jesus Christ then he will not disappoint because when you please Him, he brings forth blessings. Jesus is perfect and without sin, so there is no way he can disappoint you. When others fail you, turn to Jesus. If you focus on pleasing Him and Him alone, you will find yourself to be a much more joyful rose. He will pick your rose off the ground where others are capable to crush it and he will raise you to a garden of satisfaction that only He can reach!

Patience While Others Bloom

Sometimes our roses bloom while the others around us don't. Those enclosed roses can symbolize people we love such as family or friends, or it can symbolize acquaintances and strangers. Either way, we need to make sure our hearts and lives can be examples to those people. Proverbs 12:14 says "People will be rewarded for what they say, but they will also be rewarded for what they do!." Simply let your lives SHINE for Him! That doesn't mean all you do is state you're a follower of Jesus and that's it. Don't stop there! Whenever peer pressure arises, say no, but give your reasons why based on God's Word! Whenever you learn something new about Jesus that impacts your life, don't be shy! Share it with others! If you have a hard time talking to people about Jesus and your beliefs as a follower of Him, then make sure your life is in order and you keep shining because eventually someone will come up to you and ask what you have that they don't. When they do, tell them about how Jesus has blossomed your rose bud into a magnificent flower! There are so many buds and very few blossoms! That's why shining for Jesus is SO important! Now sometimes there will be those people that you love who don't seem like they will ever give Jesus their lives, but remember the verse Lamentations 3:25 which says "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him." So seek the Lord by reaching out to others, and waiting patiently and with perseverance for the day of salvation (Romans 8:25). God blossoms our roses for a reason, and that reason is to reach others in His name!

A Rose Unashamed

"A whole new generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to 'accept' Christ without forsaking the world" -A.W. Tozer. Standing up for Jesus isn't an easy thing. We are afraid what others will think of us, we feel we will be treated as an outcast, we think that there will be no one around to stand by us. But have you ever stopped to think that maybe the people around you are thinking the same thing? If everyone let their fears control them, then who will proclaim Jesus' name? How can we expect our roses to blossom? Jesus died for us, and yet we are ashamed of Him? "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name" (1 Peter 4:16). We should be honored to proclaim His name, and we should feel a fire within us that urges us to do so! "It will require a determined heart and more than a little courage to wrench ourselves loose from the grip of our times and return to Biblical ways" -A.W. Tozer. Letting our rose stand out for Jesus is the least we can do for the one who sacrificed himself for all those who call on His name!

Guns and Roses

The picture above shows a bullet bursting through a rose. Rather than focusing on the bullet, I want to talk about the rose. Many of us, if not all of us, can fall into a dangerous cycle. We only become roses when bad things happen in our lives. What I mean by that is this: we only call on Jesus when our circumstances are not in our favor. The cycle goes like this: life is going great, it seems like everything is just perfect; YAY ME! Life is going horrible, nothing seems to be going right, HELP ME JESUS! Thank You Jesus for helping me! Life is going great now. Bye Jesus. Weeks later, HELP ME AGAIN JESUS! Bye Jesus. Life is going great....etc, etc. We can get caught up in this dangerous cycle where the only time we focus on Jesus is in our bad circumstances. The only time we are a rose is when a bullet strikes us. We call on Jesus to help us and then we don't call on him again until another bullet hits. Instead of only calling on Jesus when we need help, we need to constantly stay in touch with Him! We need to constantly be that rose that reflects the heart of Jesus! We need to thank Him and get to know Him even when everything seems to be going perfect. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above!" (James 1:17). So don't forget about Jesus! 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, "Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong." Don't let your rose only appear when a bullet strikes!

When Thorns Outnumber Your Rose

Sometimes a rose patch contains more thorns than roses, and sometimes the person we have the hardest time forgiving is OURSELVES. When you look at a rose patch, which do you pay more attention to? The roses or the thorns? The roses. Why? Because they have color and magnificent beauty. Beauty is what God sees in us, but before that beauty can be magnificent and vibrant with color, we must ask Him for forgiveness for all the wrong we have done. When we ask God for forgiveness, we must mean it with our HEARTS, and there is no fooling God. A lily cannot pretend to be a rose. If a lily is in a rose patch, it will be spotted right away! Just like that lily is easily detected in the midst of roses, Christ can easily detect when we are insincere. Whenever you want to ask God for forgiveness, show the sincerity that David had in Psalm 139:23 where he cried out "Search me O God, and know my heart!" There is no lying to God. He sees our thoughts, and he knows all the bad we have done. So open your hearts to him! Remember that rose with magnificent color and beauty? That's what God sees whenever we have received his forgiveness and cleansing. 1 John 1:9-10 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." He overlooks the thorns and sees the rose: what you are meant to be. Be a sincere rose, not a lying lily!

Fake Roses

The roses in the picture above may look real, but they are actually fake roses from China. It can be very difficult to tell a fake rose from a real rose unless you actually get up close and look for the signs that its real. A genuine rose has a wonderful smell and silky petals. Just like we have to look carefully at a rose to see if its genuine or fake, we need to look at our lives to see if we are living a real or fake life with Jesus Christ. There are many different ways we can be fake. When we are fake it means that we aren't living for Christ alone. We may go to church and tell everyone we follow Him, but we don't actually live it out or show a passion for the Word and everything it says. We may compromise our beliefs with friends or in situations. We may go to church and sit in the seats, not really listening to anything that's being said but just thinking about things we have to do the rest of the day and week. This kind of "fake-ness" is something that Christ despises. It is classified in the Bible as lukewarmness. Revelation 3:16 says, "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." When we are not on fire for God, but still going through the motions and doing the "normal things followers of Christ usually do", we are being lukewarm. If you continue being lukewarm, how do you expect your life to change? How do you expect blessings to come in your life if all you are being is fake? Put away the fake rose that you have been holding on to, and bring out that genuine rose that Christ delights in! Only then will you continue to blossom into the gorgeous creation God wants you to be!

When Your Rose Is Falling Apart

After a rose has bloomed, petals can sometimes fall off. Have you ever picked up a rose and taken off the petals? After doing so, it's very hard to keep the rose intact. The rose seems to keep falling apart, never to go back to the beautiful blossom it once was. Just like that rose put in the wrong hands can lose all its petals, we can begin to fall apart if we take our lives into our own hands, or if we put them in the grips of someone else. The only hands that can keep us together is that of Jesus Christ. When we place someone else, even ourselves, before Jesus, we are putting our rose in their (or its) hands. Proverbs 28:25-26 says that "He who trusts in the Lord will prosper. He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered". The reason why we can't place our roses in our own or someone else's hands is because let's face it: we are fools! We let emotions and feelings control us, we allow anger and frustrations to get the best of us, we make impulsive decisions without thinking of the consequences. We cannot trust our lives to anyone else but Jesus, because he is the only one who can keep our rose together! Copy and paste this link and listen to the song Everything Falls by Fee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk4A5647xHw When everything falls apart, Jesus's arms holds our rose together!

Roses in the Wastelands

Isaiah 35:1 "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." The ideal place for a rose to bloom would be a luscious garden filled with other blossoming roses which all let off a sweet aroma unlike any other. The fact of the matter is: some roses grow in the wastelands. As seen in the picture above, roses don't always blossom in the middle of a luscious garden, but they still grow to be just as beautiful. Like roses, not all of us live in the best environments or have the best lives. Some of us have less money than others, less vehicles, less technology, less adventures. But God brings out beauty in the most unexpected situations. For example, John the Baptist in the Bible baptized many people in Christ's name. He preached repentance to everyone that listened, and he prepared the coming of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 3:4 it says "John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey." John may not have had much, but he had EVERYTHING with Jesus Christ. He lived a happy life by serving the Lord and letting the Lord use him to reach others. John bloomed, even without a nice big house, fancy clothes, or a buffet of food at his disposal. Another example of someone in the Bible who didn't hold the ideal lifestyle was Mary Magdalene. Mary (not the mother of Jesus, but the other Mary) had been caught in the act of adultery. This was a terrible crime for women back in that day, and the Pharisees wanted to stone her for her sin. Jesus told the Pharisees that the people who have no sin can stone her, but since no one is without sin, they all left. In John 8:10-11 after everyone had left, Jesus asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” After this, Mary Magdalene's life was changed. Jesus Christ had completely transformed her life, and she blossomed into a faithful follower of him. Jesus can do the same for us. God saved her and blossomed her into the rose she was meant to be. No matter what we have done or whatever situation or environment we are in, God has the power to make us bloom. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to cast down imaginations. We need to quit making up fantasies and dreams about living the big life filled with sports cars and three story houses, and instead be content with what we have, because Jesus can create a rose out of you no matter what environment you are in! "Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Colossians 3:1-2). Remember that rose that blossomed in the wastelands? That can be you, if you put down your fantasies and open up your hearts to let Christ transform your rose through his power!

Patience While You Bloom Pt 2

Remember that patience you need to have while waiting for a flower to bloom? Well we talked about how patience is needed during trials and that the trials produce some major blossoming, but we should also take note that all of us need patience when seeing what God has in store for us. We go to concerts and see our role models whether it be singers, musicians, etc, and we look at them with awe. We tell ourselves "I'll NEVER be like them, they're just too great!". We go to school or watch T.V. and see how the world says that to be on top you've got to push yourself there. You've got to get the highest grades, you've got to have the most talents, you've got to rise above the competition, and the sooner you decide what you want to do in life, the better! Well little do most people know, but this isn't the way to approach life according to God's Word. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." It doesn't say WE know the plans for us, it says the LORD knows the plans for us. And what are in those plans? A hope and a future. Just like that little rose bud was made to bloom into an extravagant flower, we were made to bloom into extravagant people. We need to be like David who cried out in Psalm 62:5, "My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him" When we feel the pressure that the world places on us about the future, we need to trust in God ALONE because He is the one that carries our future in his right hand. Just like we have to trust that on the inside of that flower bud is a beautiful rose, we have to trust that God will give us a hope and a future. We have to trust that God will use our talents and abilities (even the ones we cannot yet see) and make something great out of us so that we may glorify His name. "Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). God will make something great out of you just like a rose, but will you have the patience to trust him while you bloom?

Patience While You Bloom

What's the worst part about planting a flower? Waiting for it to grow. Now this can be an analogy for many different parts of our lives, but let's look at two. The first analogy I see here is the patience you need during a situation. God uses various trials in our lives to help us grow, even if we don't see it at the time. Just like roses have to withstand through sometimes horrible weather, we have to withstand trials in our lives. Trials? For our good? Yes. At the end of the day, the trial you are going through is making you stronger. When you wake up in the morning and nothing seems to go your way, tell yourself that everything you're going through whether big or small, is in some shape or form making you stronger. The fight you got in with your parents, spouse, and/or sibling when you spoke before you thought? Well that just taught you to be quicker to hear, slower to speak, and slower to anger (James 1:19). The test you spent hours studying for might have just given you an "A". The girls at school who you think look way prettier than you taught you to rely on God more to realize that outward beauty is no match against inner beauty. All things, whether big or small, carry potential for you to rely on God and learn something from the situation. Put everything you go through together and what do you get? A girl (or guy) who is blossoming for the Lord. "A woman [or man] becomes a woman [or man] when she/he becomes what God wants her/him to be!" Point-blank: "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him" (Lamentations 3:25). Wait through that trial, whether it be as big as a death in the family or as small as a bad hair day. God is using it for your good and for his glory in the very moments you think your rose is starting to die. When you think you can't handle the bad weather any longer, a rainbow appears and blooming unfolds. God knows everything about you; your past, present, AND future. He loves you enough to give you the best, so just be patient to receive that happiness and sense of relief you have been longing for. James 1:2-4 says, "Dear brothers [and sisters], is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete."

Blooming? How Do I Do That?

Now that we know how to keep from damaging our rose , we should talk about how to BLOOM. Blooming is very important in the life of a rose. Roses are known for their extravagant beauty, but without blooming they aren't really noteworthy. A man doesn't give a woman a bouquet of roses that hasn't bloomed. He gives her roses that have already bloomed and carry much beauty. Likewise, God wants to see us bloom, but he isn't referring to outward beauty. 1 Peter 3:3-4 "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight" A gentle and quiet spirit. Now that doesn't mean that an outgoing person has to become shy. What it means is a self-controlled person. A person who carries much wisdom but rather than boasting in that wisdom, uses it to grow, just like a rose blossoms. How do you obtain a gentle and quiet spirit? Phillipians 4:8 says to focus on "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on those things" So remember the bugs that can infest a rose? Don't dwell with or on those things. Focus instead on the words of Jesus Christ, and whatever is GOOD. And in our heart of hearts, we know what is true, honorable, right, and pure and we know what we need to change in our lives to be able to focus on them. Use God's heavenly bug repellent and latch onto his truth.

A Bed of Roses in a Patch of Thorns

A bed of roses in a patch of thorns is a lot like you and me in this broken world. Roses, like any flower have to bloom, but to bloom they must have the proper treatment. If the roses are in an environment that receives plenty of rain and has the right amount of sunlight, then chances are it will bloom. However, if placed in the wrong environment chances are it will die. We, like roses, need to be in a proper environment in order to "bloom". If we surround ourselves with friends who are addicted to drugs, cuss a lot, continuously talk about sex, etc, then blooming will be VERY difficult. A rose can get infested with petal-eating bugs, and those bugs can quickly travel from one rose to another, destroying everything in its' path. If we place ourselves in bad situations or the wrong crowd, our character will become damaged just like those bug infested roses. The bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Do not be misled; bad company corrupts good morals." Don't let bug-infested roses mislead you.