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!