One thing is certain about thorns, they're not hard to find! I love roses and have tended them in my garden for many years. Although I've used all sorts of gloves of varying degrees of thickness, more often than not, the thorns win. They just seem to have a way of finding some part of my body which is exposed even when my hands are protected by gloves.
I've sometimes wondered why one of the most beautiful flowers on the planet, the rose, would have a stem which could wound so dramatically? I don't know the answer, but according to this wiki author, the thorns on the stems of roses are there to protect the rose from being eaten by wild animals attracted by its beauty and scent. I guess that sounds plausible...
Over the past several weeks, we've been talking about the power of love in the Challenge of an Excellent Life Class. It's awesome potential to transform life is unparalleled. But our recent class discussion was about the issues that stand in the way of love. We explored the dimension of the small stuff.
You know... the minor irritations, grudges, resentments and agitations which have a way of stealing the joy of life. The stuff which we fail to notice when love is in it's initial bloom, but somehow seems to crop up and grow bigger the longer we're in relationship with another.
The thing about holding grudges is that we tend to regard it as an innocuous activity. Our grudge bearing and resentment takes place under the wraps of pretensions, hyprocrisy and passive aggressive behavior patterns. Within this actively potent fertilizer, these small negativities grow and flourish.
And not unlike the thorns on the stem of a rose, they become protective measures by which we undergird our hearts from getting hurt. But the trouble with that solution is this...thorns sometimes wound. When a small child grasps a rose to smell it, the child does not intend to harm the rose. Unfortunately, the thorn doesn't know the difference between the innocent grasp of a child and a hungry animal. It will harm indiscriminantly.
This is to some degree what happens when we nurse our resentments and irriations as a means of staving off further hurt. We may actually end up wounding the hand that was sent to embrace or miss the opportunity for growth which can only occur when we choose to harness the courage to love, regardless of the risk. In our search for thorns, we limit our capacity to enjoy the fullnes of the bloom.
photo is courtesy of peasaps photostream on flickr.
*this blog post is from the challenge of excellence blog. Once a week, a group of young adults get together at the First Evangelical Covenant Church in Grand Rapids, MI to explore what it means to live an excellent life in view of 1 Corinthians 13. You can read more entries from this series by visiting the blog.
Related Posts:
Entrapped by a Millstone...The Nature of Fake Affection.
What if Everyday Were Valentines?
Lola Audu, is the Designated Broker & Owner of Audu Real Estate. Our company specializes in helping people buy and sell homes in the greater Grand Rapids, West Michigan area. We've had the privilege of helping hundreds of clients succeed in their goals of purchasing and selling property including demonstrated success in the negotiation of Short Sale Transactions. You can contact us via e-mail @ info@auduhomes.com or by phone at 616-791-0511.
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Thanks Lola for the positive attitude. You might not know this yet, but I used to be an ardent rose fan - crazy enough (me in my early 20s) to join retirees in our Collin County Rose Society. My highest record was 88 roses. When I left the house, I left them there although I made to salvage a handful of my favorite roses.
This post is not about growing roses though. But I understand what those thorns mean. It's a wall we put up for ourselves we call our protector.... I got to ponder about this one.