Lessons learned from roses

Today, I want you to play make believe with me. Pretend that someone you love very much just sent you a pretty bouquet of roses. It makes us feel good when someone we love does something special for us. We just as well admit it! As we stand admiring our roses not many of us realize what those roses had to go through just to bring this moment of joy to our lives.

This bunch of roses was nothing more than an ugly root in the ground in the beginning. Then, after surviving the winter it began to show its beauty as spring came. The gardener snapped the roses from the bush. The florist arranged them in a lovely bouquet. Then that person that you love bought them, gave them to you, and through their beauty told you, “I love you.” All of this was made possible because something that was ugly endured the hardships in its life for a season until the beauty shown through.

Now let’s stop pretending and look at the real bouquet of roses that someone who loves you very much has given you…God.

The first rose in the bouquet that He has given is His Son Jesus, who is often referred to as The Rose Of Sharon, but in the beginning it was not so. He was considered ugly, was rejected, cursed, spit on, beaten, humiliated, mocked, yet he endured the hardships of His life for a season until the beauty could shine through. And when He rose the third day victorious over death we know without doubt that God placed into the vase of mankind the greatest gift He could give us.

The second rose placed in the bouquet was parents. I thank God for parents, and grandparents, who loved me enough to correct me when I was wrong, to praise me when I was right, and to see that I was in church by taking me with them. Yes, there was a time when I thought my parents were ugly, but they loved me right on through that time in my life until their beauty was shining through.

The third rose placed in our bouquet was that spouse of ours. The rose of my life is my wife Frances, who for sixty-one years has honored me by being my wife, and I love her more today than when we were married. She and I have both endured the ugly parts of our marriage, and just as the rose, the beauty is shining through now as never before!

The next rose placed in the bouquet is the children and grandchildren. God gave us a son and three beautiful granddaughters. Back when our son and granddaughters were younger and mis-behaving we wondered how long it would be before the root would turn into a rose. How long would it be before we get to see their beauty shine through! But in those moments when one of the granddaughters slip up to you, give you a hug and say, “Papa, I love you,” all you see is the beauty of the rose that God had given you.

The last rose in the bouquet we will mention today is the church. Sixty-eight years ago a rose was placed in my bouquet called First Baptist Church. This church has been one of the greatest joys of my life over the years. We have been up and we have been down. We have been through the ugly of Satan together, but right now the beauty is beginning to shine through once again.

As we close today, obviously you have noticed that I have been a little more personal in my column this week by sharing with you some of the roses in my bouquet. The whole purpose of that is to get you to look at the roses in your bouquet, behold them, smell their fragrance and honor them while you still can.

May I wish you a very Merry Christmas Season and please take a long look at the roses God has placed in your bouquet.