Jim West Pa
New member
she lost our infant grambaby a while back to a terrible disease.
A thorny bouquet
Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes when she
pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of wind. Her
life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then, in the fourth month
of her second pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy.
This was Thanksgiving week and the time she should have delivered their
infant son. She grieved over their loss.
Troubles had multiplied. Her husband's company "threatened" to transfer
his job to a new location. Her sister had called to say that she could not
come for her long awaited holiday visit. What's worse, Sandra 's friend
suggested that Sandra 's grief was a God-given path to maturity that
would allow her to empathize wi th others who suffer. "She has no ide a
what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. "Thanksgiving?
Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was
hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her
life, but took her child's?"
"Good afternoon, can I help you?"
Sandra was startled by the approach of the shop clerk.
"I . . . I need an arrangement, " stammered Sandra .
"For Thanksgiving? I'm convinced that flowers tell
stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys
'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"
"Not exactly!" Sandra bl urted out. "In the last five
months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."
Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when
the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted
the new customer,
"Hi, Barbara, let me get your order." She excused
herself and walked back to a small workroom,
then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and
what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of
the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.
"Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk.
Sandra watched - 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.
Sandra stammered, "Ah, that lady just left with . . . uh
. . . she left with no flowers!"
"That's right," said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers.
That's the 'Special'. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. Barbara
came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do today,"
explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little t o be thankful
for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was
failing; her son had gotten into drugs ; and she was facing major
surgery. That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk.
"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 much 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 the good things in my life
and I never questioned Him why those good things happened to me, but
when the b ad stuff hit, I cried out, 'Why? Why me?!' It took time for me
to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always
enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the 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 what
her fr iend 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!" the clerk greeted 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 telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that?"
"Four years ago, my wife and I nearly divorced," Phil
replied. "After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's
grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem, the Lord
rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of
rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from "thorny" times.
That was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife
and I decide d to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks
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 the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's
providential care more during trou ble than at any other time. Remember
that 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 her resentment.
"I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please,"
she managed to cho ke out.
"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have
them ready in a minute."
Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing. 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 would like to read
it first."
It read:
"My 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."
Praise Him for the roses; thank Him for the thorns.
God Bless all of you. Be thankful for all that the Lord
does for you.
Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak
kindly, and leave the rest to God."
We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and Duct tape.
God did it with nails.
I see healing in her heart.
Thank you Jesus, praise to You oh God !!!
A thorny bouquet
Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes when she
pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of wind. Her
life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then, in the fourth month
of her second pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy.
This was Thanksgiving week and the time she should have delivered their
infant son. She grieved over their loss.
Troubles had multiplied. Her husband's company "threatened" to transfer
his job to a new location. Her sister had called to say that she could not
come for her long awaited holiday visit. What's worse, Sandra 's friend
suggested that Sandra 's grief was a God-given path to maturity that
would allow her to empathize wi th others who suffer. "She has no ide a
what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. "Thanksgiving?
Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was
hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her
life, but took her child's?"
"Good afternoon, can I help you?"
Sandra was startled by the approach of the shop clerk.
"I . . . I need an arrangement, " stammered Sandra .
"For Thanksgiving? I'm convinced that flowers tell
stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys
'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"
"Not exactly!" Sandra bl urted out. "In the last five
months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."
Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when
the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted
the new customer,
"Hi, Barbara, let me get your order." She excused
herself and walked back to a small workroom,
then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and
what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of
the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.
"Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk.
Sandra watched - 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.
Sandra stammered, "Ah, that lady just left with . . . uh
. . . she left with no flowers!"
"That's right," said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers.
That's the 'Special'. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. Barbara
came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do today,"
explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little t o be thankful
for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was
failing; her son had gotten into drugs ; and she was facing major
surgery. That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk.
"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 much 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 the good things in my life
and I never questioned Him why those good things happened to me, but
when the b ad stuff hit, I cried out, 'Why? Why me?!' It took time for me
to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always
enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the 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 what
her fr iend 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!" the clerk greeted 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 telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that?"
"Four years ago, my wife and I nearly divorced," Phil
replied. "After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's
grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem, the Lord
rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of
rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from "thorny" times.
That was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife
and I decide d to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks
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 the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's
providential care more during trou ble than at any other time. Remember
that 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 her resentment.
"I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please,"
she managed to cho ke out.
"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have
them ready in a minute."
Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing. 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 would like to read
it first."
It read:
"My 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."
Praise Him for the roses; thank Him for the thorns.
God Bless all of you. Be thankful for all that the Lord
does for you.
Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak
kindly, and leave the rest to God."
We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and Duct tape.
God did it with nails.
I see healing in her heart.
Thank you Jesus, praise to You oh God !!!
