Scripture: I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Like a lily among thorns is my darling among maidens.
Song of Songs 2:1-2
It is a tradition at our school that after every play, the actors and actresses receive a rose. I pressed the rose from our first play of the year in a large book of mine. I mentioned that book today in one of my classes and I remembered the rose which got me thinking.
It got me thinking about how a Christian is like a rose. There is almost an infinite range of colors that roses come in. This reminded me of how each Christian is different, we are all unique individuals created in the image of our Father. Roses are easily distinguished because they all have certain traits in common. They come in different colors but you can still tell that it is a rose. We all think and see in our own ways, but we share common beliefs, we share our goal to get to Heaven, and we share our love for one another, our Father, and His living Son.
A rose also has thorns for protection. You know that a rose has thorns and so you do not grab one by the stem and yank it out of the ground. As Christians we are protected by God, and Jesus walks with us always, to protect us from harm. As a Christian our thorns may also represent how we will defend our faith. We will never let anyone take our God given right to worship, to pray, or to praise.
The rose blossom is known for its many layers of petals. I believe this relates to the many layers of our relationship with God. We all have a complex relationship with God, each relationship is different and is very deep, and it has many layers. Everyone can see the petals on the outside of a rose, just as they can see the outside of us. But the inner layers of the rose remain hidden within. There are certain things that are between only us and God, our very most inner self. God has the ability to peel back our outer self and see our inner self, the very soul He created.
We are all God's children; we all share the ancestry of the Garden of Eden. We are all roses in the eyes of God and by any other name we would smell as sweet.
Marie Quill
Motlow Student
Prayer: O Great Gardener of my soul, give me fresh living water to drink, and prune my faith so that it flowers and displays your splendor. I want to bring glory to your name as I bloom in the name of Christ. Amen.
Prayer Tip: All of God’s creation speaks of his glory. Studying one small element of His creation can speak to you new truth about His great design for your life.
