They are the bane of my existence but I can’t ignore them
any longer. The twelve large rose bushes
that create a private hedge around my lower patio are covered in limp petals
and desperately need pruning. Twice a year for over twenty-one years I’ve
gritted my teeth, gathered my tools, put on my ragged long sleeved pruning
shirt and tackled the thorns. But this
year I don’t have Jack to gather the debris and make it disappear. Ok kiddo, you’re on your own, give it all
you’ve got!
Almost three hours later I’m sweaty, dirty and tired but the
pruning is done and the debris hauled up the hilly side of the house to be
recycled over a period of time. As I
stop to gulp down an entire water bottle, I see the blood on my arms and the
side of my t-shirt where the thorns grabbed me and took pieces of skin. Why do
I put myself through this misery?
Then I remind myself about the months of June and July. Those days when I sat on the lower patio with
my feet up reading a great book and surrounded by a hedge of bright pink petals
and buds. Those thorny bushes had to be pruned to create this captivating
beauty.
The pruning experience made me reflect on those times when I
feel “thorny.”
- · Someone won’t let me merge
- · A cashier chatting up a storm and holding up the line
- · Someone who compares the pain of my second husband’s death to the loss of her dog
- · When you’re having a bad day on the golf course and someone gives unwarranted advice and says: “When was the last time you had lessons?”
The apostle Paul, the greatest recorded missionary in the
Bible had a “thorn in his side” (2 Corinthians 12:8). Three times Paul pleaded
God to take this thorn away but God said: “My grace is sufficient for you, for
my power is made perfect in weakness.” In other words, live with it, learn from
it and in the harsh process become more like Christ.
Christ shed His blood so that we can be free to love each
other and pass on His undeserving grace. I was willing to shed some blood for
my rose bushes, but am I ready to put up with some emotional pain and extend
grace to those things that feel “thorny?”
By the grace of God I am trying. I know that in the future
when I feel “thorny” I will recall the blood on my sleeves and the pile of dead
rose petals and pruning. Showing grace is beautiful but hard. But through the
process I am becoming more beautiful from the inside out.
Heidi McLaughlin lives in the beautiful vineyards of the Okanagan
Valley in Kelowna, British Columbia. Heidi has been widowed twice. She is a mom
and step mom of a wonderful, eclectic blended family of 5 children and 12
grandchildren. When Heidi is not working, she loves to curl up with a great
book, or golf and laugh with her family and special friends.
Her latest book RESTLESS FOR MORE: Fulfillment in Unexpected Places
(Including a FREE downloadable Study Guide) is now available at Amazon.ca;
Amazon.com, Goodreads.com or her website: www.heartconnection.ca
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