| Author | Message | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 3077 Registered: 3-2004  |
This is another piece I thought all of you would enjoy. We all go through bad times, but God holds us up through them all. He is so awesome. Diana The Blessing of Thorns Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease. During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose annual holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered aloud. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child? "Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her. "I...I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra, "for Thanksgiving?" "Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving Special?" asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving? "Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. " Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you." Then the door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi Barbara...let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped...there were no flowers. "Want this in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers!?! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. "Yes, please." Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said as she gently tapped her chest. "Uh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uh... she just left with no flowers!" "Right...I cut off the flowers. That's the Special... I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. "Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that?" exclaimed Sandra. "Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling very much like you feel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery." "That same year I had lost my husband, "continued the clerk," and for the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel. "So what did you do?" asked Sandra. "I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. I've always thanked God for good things in life and never thought to ask Him why those good things happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others." Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God." Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man. "My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement... twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator. "Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that? "No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from "thorny" times, and that was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks to Him for what that problem taught us." As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!" "I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too... fresh." "Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns." Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out. "I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute." "Thank you. What do I owe you?" asked Sandra. "Nothing." said the clerk. "Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you'd like to read it first." It read: "Dear God, I have never thanked you for my thorns. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to you along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of your rainbow look much more brilliant." | ||
| Susans Registered user Username: Susans Post Number: 216 Registered: 8-2006 |
Thank you, Diana, for sharing this. What a beautiful story of God's sustaining grace and healing in times of despair. Susan | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 5028 Registered: 12-2003  |
Thank you, Diana. What a wonderful story. Colleen | ||
| Toria Registered user Username: Toria Post Number: 57 Registered: 2-2006 |
Diana I needed to read/hear something like that this morning. We have been preparing for Christmas here and I am having trouble getting into the spirit of it all. This is my first Christmas without my mom and my younger brother as they both passed in July. It is also the first time I have been able to let myself cry. With tears streaming I thank you for posting that story. God Bless you toria | ||
| Grace_alone Registered user Username: Grace_alone Post Number: 332 Registered: 6-2006  |
Toria, I'm so sorry. When someone dear passes away my Mom always refers to the "year of firsts", first Christmas, first Mothers/Father's Day, first birthday. It's always the hardest. My thoughts and prayers are with you this holiday season ~ Diana, thank you for sharing - you are such a blessing.  Leigh Anne | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 171 Registered: 9-2006  |
Diana, Thank you for sharing, it touched me. Most of all, thank you for sharing you. River | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 5030 Registered: 12-2003 |
Toria, I am praying for you. Colleen | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 3080 Registered: 3-2004 |
Toria, I am praying for you also. God is holding onto you and will not drop you, even when you cannot feel Him. Diana | ||
| Leigh Registered user Username: Leigh Post Number: 142 Registered: 2-2003 |
praying for you Toria. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 3083 Registered: 3-2004 |
When I receive stories like the one above and the one about refining silver, I never think this will benefit some one. All I want to do is share something I like. So, I am so glad that God uses these things to bless/comfort others in ways I will never see. I can say for certain that God uses me to put these where all of you can read it and I thank Him for doing that. I am always awed by how He uses me. Sometimes I do not realize that is what He is doing until after I do whatever. So, thank you God for choosing to use sinful me. I love you as much as my human heart can love you. You are so awesome. Diana | ||
| Toria Registered user Username: Toria Post Number: 58 Registered: 2-2006 |
Thank you guys. I am ok. I did not realize how much pent-up emotion I was holding on to. I know we have to live through the grieving process. But a lot has happened in the past summer and I guess I was pushing my feelings deep inside and trying not to go there. Your story Diana, touched something and it all came pouring out. I realize that I needed to do that. That's why I am so thankful to you, and to God for you. I think you must help a lot of folks with your 'stories' and prayers. Blessings to all toria | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 173 Registered: 9-2006 |
In our Wednesday night worship service last night there was only about 8 there due to snow and icy roads and the Pastor said ìdoes someone have a testimony?î no one moved and so I said ìI have oneî and I gave the statistics that there are about 400,000 evangelical churches in America and over half did not record a single convert last year and I concluded with the statement that ìin spite of poor statistics, I am going to keep going for God, I may not get a single convert, but I am going to keep tryingî and the Pastor looked at me and said ìIím glad you said thatî you see, the sermon he had prepared for us was on ìremaining faithful to Godî. What happened there was that the Holy Spirit was confirming the Pastors message, that message was probably meant for someone there who needed encouragement. It was sort of funny there as I gave the above statistics I could read the Pastors face his gears turning and what registered on his face was ìBoy, this guy ainít helping me a bitî and then I saw his eyes light up when he saw where I was going with it. You know, if we made our next move according to our feelings of uncertainty and self doubt and feelings of inadequacy we probably wouldnít get a whole lot done in the ministry that God has appointed to us. I have been plagued with feelings of self doubt, uncertainty and inadequacy my whole Christian life. And it seems that God has added another seemingly plague to that the day I was born, I have always been super sensitive to thoughts and emotions of those around, what we call ìVibesî and so am under a continuous onslaught of grief, pain, evil intentions, betrayal and so forth of the souls around me. When I am in a crowd of people such as at church I am continuously receiving a jumble of emotional information pouring in from all directions and coupled with my own self doubt and uncertainty can tend to leave me exhausted and a total wreck and I just want to flee to my office and hide there the rest of my life. I did that very thing for about five years, but it seems that God wants me back out there in the fray and I just have to try to be obedient to the Holy Spirit, how I am coming to deal with it is that I came to the conclusion is that I must obey God and him only and I came to the conclusion that I can do no more than my best, so what if I mess up? So what if I donít meet with everyoneís opinion about how I should act? I came to the conclusion that God has accepted me and him only will I seek to please, he has become my goal, my strength, and I will pour myself out in order to please him. I have come to the conclusion that I may have to eat a little crow every once in a while but a little crow is not going to bring the world down around my ears. A steady diet of crow is something else entirely. But so what if you mess up a little here and there? I have a sneaky feeling that we are coming upon the close of the church age real fast. The prophecy of Jeremiah chapter 30:3 I believe began in 1948 and Jews are to this day coming from all over the world back to the land of Israel, when the last Jew who is willing to return does return, will that signal the end of the church age? I donít know. Is God speaking to hearts all over this country to gear them selves up for evangelism? I think so. I think many are so cold and dead in their tradition that they wouldnít hear it if God thundered out of heaven. I am convinced there are many who have never heard the voice of the Holy Spirit; they use his name but do not know him, never have known him and never will. I am convinced that many are so wrapped up in their theology that they have long since lost the ability to hear him if they ever had it in the first place. And all this just when it is needed the most. I echo my Pastor. Remain faithful. River | ||
| Aliza Registered user Username: Aliza Post Number: 117 Registered: 8-2006 |
River said,
Perhaps you should consider that God has blessed you with a gift of discernment to see what others don't see? My guess is that others here as well as me are amazed at how quickly you have grasped the reality of Adventism and the true spiritual battle that exists when dealing with SDA understanding. Just IMHO, Aliza | ||
| Susans Registered user Username: Susans Post Number: 221 Registered: 8-2006 |
I agree, Aliza. And River, when I read where you said you have been plagued with self doubt, uncertainty, and inadequacy your entire Christian life, the first thing that came to me to say to you is to remind you that "we have this treasure in earthen vessels". Susan | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 5036 Registered: 12-2003 |
I also agree, Aliza. We're thankful for you, Riveróand you've no idea (well, maybe you do!) how grateful we feel that you "get it:! Do you know how rare that is?! Colleen | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 3103 Registered: 3-2004 |
River, I am very thankful for your posts on here. Not only do you have a wonderful sense of humor, but you have the love of God in you and God uses you and that love for others. As Colleen has said, "You get it" when it comes to adventist beliefs. That is very rare. So thank you for coming to FAF and sharing yourself with us. God has given you a special talent. He will guide you as you use it. Take care my Christian brother. Never forget that we have an awesome God. Diana |
