Beauty Among the Thorns

You might be asking yourself, "How can anything good come from my situation?" Maybe you feel hopeless and are struggling to make it from one day to the next. Maybe you are grieving the loss of a loved one or the end of a marriage. Maybe you are struggling to make it from one paycheck to the next, wondering if there will be enough to pay the bills and put food on the table. You are not alone, and these are things many of us face. Don't lose hope. God is at work, even during the hardest times, and He is doing a work in you that, in due time, will bloom into something beautiful. Consider the rose, it's one of my favorite flowers. It is so colorful, delicate, and fragrant. Yet, it is surrounded by thorns. As the thorny bush grows, buds start to develop, until one day a beautiful rose bursts forth in all its glory. We are not immune to suffering in this life, and God is working through the hard times to create something beautiful.

Romans 5:3-5 says this, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." ESV

I know, when you're in the middle of everything, it's hard to see the beauty in it. It's hard to believe that God cares or that anything good could come from it. Watching my husband slowly fade away and then slip into eternity after a yearlong battle with cancer was one of the hardest things I've ever had to face. It could have broken me, and it would have been so easy to slip into despair.... but God! He did not abandon me in the darkness. He met me there and carried me. He whispered hope to my spirit when my body struggled to move forward. Through that loss and grief, He has birthed a new purpose and put a call on my life to help others who are grieving. He will do the same for you. Turn to Him and give Him every broken piece of your heart. He is the one who will cause you to bloom amidst all the thorns.

As always, if you need prayer or just want to say hello, please send me an email, and I'd be happy to walk your journey with you. May the Lord bless you today and always!

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.