The Gift of the Rose. . .

The Last Rose of Summer - Arrangement by Bevani
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When I first began pruning a rose bush a number of years ago, I was unsure who it was going to hurt more, me or the roses? Was this pain really necessary? Was I not going to damage the rose bush even more resulting in making it weaker? What if I cut too much away?  Perhaps, if I just let things be. It looked healthy enough just as it is for now. I am sure when spring brings its welcomed showers of rain and eventual warm sunny days all of the canes of the rose bush will survive and revive, once again, along with the vibrant deep burgundy/dark green leaves. Meanwhile, the rose buds will begin swelling rapidly just waiting to burst toward the big blue summer sky with their beautiful, bold, full fragrant heads. 

Of course, as I am no master gardener, I had hope the roses would do their very best and look very impressive, which they, indeed, did for a while during the early spring/summer months.  However, then the long summer’s hot days and warm, humid nights came along with the lack of rain and cloudy days, which began taking their toll on my beautiful rose bush. The vibrant green leaves began turning yellow with black spots and mildew powder dust began appearing here and there.  Meanwhile, the insects ensured their feast on the leaves and buds were recognized leaving behind their contribution of lacy leaves found everywhere. Oh, how exhausted, depressed, deprived and dormant my lovely rose bush appeared! What could I do to revive, rejuvenate, and reinvigorate it back to its full potential, strength and beauty? 

And so, with a clean pair of pruning shears in hand, while, protecting my hands with garden gloves so as not to be pricked by one of the many needle-sharp thorns,

I carefully began cutting away dead flower head by flower head, yellow, black spotted leaf by leaf, along with any disease- and/or debris-looking spindly or sucker canes that had taken their toll on the overall health of the rose bush, while creating better airflow and reducing pest infestation for the remaining healthy canes to breathe. In addition, I carefully and regularly gave the rose bush some fresh rose food for encouragement and nourishment along with a healthy daily dose of water. Roses love a deep drenching of water but not saturated; like all of us, roses need to be taken care of with tender loving care. Hence, it was my hope that my careful process of pruning and maintenance would certainly ensure this rose bush would, once again, be healthy, strong and vibrant with an abundance of blooms. Within a short period of time, to my own amazement, new leaves began to show and new blooms began to grow! It would appear the severe pruning of the shearer’s hands did, indeed, bring forth the most beautiful array of roses.

“Does this not remind many of us of our own lives? In our early years of life, many of us have been blessed to have been taken care of with much tender loving care with the necessary nurturing and nourishment that gave us opportunity to not only blossom, but survive and thrive in becoming a beautiful person both outwardly and inwardly. However, if unprotected and not cared for properly, even as we mature, the changes in the weather conditions of our lives will, without a doubt,  take their toll bringing debris and disease into our lives.  Ultimately, this will not only infect our lives, but can be fatal, while the slugs, stress, and struggles of anxiety, anger, bitterness, disappointment, fears, loneliness, unhappiness, and worry, to name just a few, grown and spread within our lives.  Where has that beautiful rose gone and can one ever get it back?

The only “Master” Gardener I know is God, himself, who can turn this sickly rose bush back to its glory days.  For only He knows its purpose and how to nurture and nourish it back to health so it can bloom and be healthy again. However, this can require very deep cuts so close to the root that one would think how can it ever grow back? What good is it anymore? Is there anything left for it to survive and thrive?  However, we must keep in mind God, without a doubt, knows the art of pruning. I know, because, I am one of His many roses, who was sickly and needed to be severely pruned back to health! 

With the watering of His Word and the cutting of His shears He has brought forth many blossoms in my life. However, I could never have imagined this through the pain-staking process of being pruned. Like Job in chapter 23, verse 10, “But he knoweth the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold,” or from a gardener’s perspective like a beautiful, fragrant rose!      

Jesus reminds us in John 15-12, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” So, how does God do it? It is by none other than by the tool of His Word. It is one of His best gardening tools that prunes, shapes and revitalizes. 

God’s Word is sharp and to the point, but it definitely gets rid of the dead stuff that has

infected one’s life. 
Hence, some may ask~ 
Does it hurt? Yes. 
Is it painful? Most often. 
Does it really work to encourage new growth? Absolutely. 
Is it just a quick fix? Definitely not.  
How does God’s pruning process work? Often through severe changes in our circumstances forcing us to focus on the “Master” Gardener, Himself, who wants nothing more than to help us live healthier lives by getting rid of the deadwood and debris that seeps into our lives. 
Is this God's way of “getting” back at us or "punishing" us? Absolutely not. It is His way, however, of showing His love towards us by taking the time to care for us by pruning out the the debris and disease that are stagnating our growth to bloom for Him. He does not want us in pain or to deprive us of our potential, but His pruning is to nurture and nourish us to become more like Him by the hands of His shears.   
What will the end results be? It will give us a new attitude of gratitude for living with new growth of aspirations, inspirations, fortification, and beautification in our lives; most importantly, hope! 

I am greatly comforted when reading II Corinthians 4:17, especially after having had my own health severely pruned, “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”  For when I choose to see my sorrows from God’s perspective, instead of my perspective, it allows His gracious face to shine upon me, which gives me peace to blossom like a rose!           

The beauty of one’s strength and character
 can only come by  the blade of the
 Master Gardener’s  pruning shears.

        

The Gift of Communion. . .

Piano Instrumental - Music by Peder B. Helland
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It was a delightful Canada Day’s celebration when some of my family members were able to join us for a visit by the lake, while enjoying a classic summer’s BBQ with all the fixings! These are very precious moments for me as they do not happen very often. Our lives are so busy, while living in different towns and cities does not help the situation. Nevertheless, I was so looking forward to spending the day with my beloved family. 

Like sugar plums dancing in my head, I was in my glory with ideas of what the menu might be like. Would I make a potato salad or coleslaw, or both, to compliment the burgers? What condiments would I display on one of the pretty crystal glass serving trays?

What summer dessert should we have? That was an easy one. It would be fresh local strawberries marinated in sugar, served with angel food cake, frozen yogurt, which tastes just as good as ice cream, with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkles of cocoa! The menu was done. Now unto my next planning duty; how do I want the table setting to look?   

This is truly my greatest enjoyment ~ creating the ambiance and the visual look of how I wanted the table setting to appear when we would gather around the table to share our “Gift of Communion” as a family; for it truly is a gift to spend with them. It was obvious the colour scheme would be “red” and “white” to celebrate our country’s flag colours for Canada. However, what accent pieces

would I add to the table? Slowly, I began pulling out the red placements, white plates, clear goblets, stainless steel cutlery, and white dinner napkins. To complete the picturesque table, I placed a lovely centre-piece of red and white Carnations. I am sure you can imagine my delight when every single piece seemed to bring the creative look together. It was an elegant, yet relaxed, look that would enhance and enrich our family fellowship. Our guests were in awe as they began sitting around the table, yet comfortable, savouring their meal, especially the dessert, with many giggles and laughter in between. Truly a precious moment for me!

Later that evening, after everyone had departed, the dishes were put away, left-overs were stored in containers, I thought how blessed I was to still be able serve my family in this way. Such opportunities are far and few between these days. Yes, I was tired, but it was worth it! However, it also made me think of how I prepare my “communion” time with God. Do I put as much effort into my precious moments with Him like I just did for my family, or do I just grab a couple of moments here and there, and then rush off to do something else that, at the time, appears more demanding of my time?  Surely, after all the time I spent throughout the day with the meal planning and preparations as well as table setting and clean up, in order to delight our guests, God will understand if I do not sit down and visit with Him tonight. I promise, however, I will definitely chat with Him in the morning. 

I confess, I find myself, at times, behaving like the Biblical Martha. Always concerned that everything looks picture perfect, under control and well-organized, everything in its place that will be impressive, enjoyable and pleasing to our guests. Meanwhile, Martha's sister, Mary, was quietly, enjoying her precious moments of quality time with Jesus sitting near Him.  

Martha, like myself, wanted to ensure everything was just perfect for her visitors. She was being sensible, practical and efficient, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach as long as it does not over-shadow what is really important, which is spending quality time with our guests. Mary, meanwhile, realized better to be spending time at the feet of Jesus and listening to Him rather than futzing in the kitchen. As my beloved husband has reminded me on occasion, “Don’t bother with the dishes right now, they aren’t going anywhere!”  Just sit and visit.” Yup, Martha and me certainly have similar personality traits! Always wanting to please and serve others, but sometimes forget to please ourselves by just being in "communion" with our guests.     

Hence, I re-read the story of these two sisters and was reminded of what Jesus, who was their important guest, gently said to Martha, when she was most perturbed her sister, Mary, was not helping her. The Gospel of Luke 10:38-42, tells us, “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

As you can see from Jesus’ gentle reprimand, it is important we keep our priorities in place. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a little bit of both Martha’s and Mary’s personality traits in our lives. Nevertheless, we should never allow the busyness of our activities of daily living deter us from the precious moments we need to daily spend with God in "communion"." Are the dishes more important or is it the fellowship and time we spend with our guests? Similarly, when we prepare to spend time with God, we should not be thinking about our “To Do List”. He wants us to “be still” and be “in the moment” with Him.
  
If you tend to be like a Martha, which I have already confessed I am, it is very easy to slip into the mindset of becoming restless thinking about all the other unimportant “stuff” that dance in our heads that may appear more productive and practical. However, what could be more productive and practical than if we were more like Martha’s sister, Mary, whose focus was only on hearing what Jesus had to say, while spending precious moments in His presence? 

Once again, I have learned it is far more important to set aside all the good deeds for the day I think are important and spend more precious moments being devoted to God as I "commune" with Him, so I may receive more of His teachings, wisdom and grace for my life.

In your moments of busyness,
Please Stop ~
Catch a breath of God,
So He can breathe on you!
~ Bonita ~

      

The Gift "Lamp". . .

I Am Always Right Here - Arrangement by Kevin Kern
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A few ago as a Christmas gift, I gave a very dear, elderly, friend a delicate china night light that was painted with the most delicate flowers. She, in fact, is my best friend’s mom, who is now in her 90ies.  Her youngest daughter, Maureen, and I met the first day of college and we instantly became the best of friends.  She was training to become a registered nurse, while I was training to become a medical administrative assistant. For 25 years our friendship grew and bonded to the point we were more like sisters than friends; even her mom would refer me as her “third” daughter. Hence, for the past 40 years, Maureen’s mom, Margaret, and I have shared many delightful memories together. However, we have also shared some very profound times of sorrow. For example, within an 18 month span, she lost her beloved husband of 50+ years from a stroke, her oldest daughter, age 49, from a six weeks’ diagnosis of a brain tumor, and my best friend, Maureen, age of 45, after a two-year battle with breast cancer.  As you can imagine it was a devastating time for all of us, but especially for Margaret. There is yet a day goes by but what I don’t think about my best friend and how much I miss her.  Meanwhile, her mother, who has such a deep faith in trusting God, has carried on with tremendous grace, fortitude and perseverance, while steadfastly encouraging others. Consequently, she has not only been a dear friend, who I treasure, but truly one of my mentors in life. Her faith and trust in God has been unwavering in the most darkest of nights; she has been a great inspiration to me. 

Knowing how Margaret, like many of us, gets up throughout the night, I thought she might find it helpful to have a night light; hence, the Christmas gift. To this day, and after all these years, she still tells me how much she enjoys this little lamp, how it brings her comfort, guidance, and peace.  In fact, every single time she sees it, she will touch the little lamp ever so gently and send a little prayer to God asking that He will continue to take care of me. What a dear friend, but, more importantly, oh, the "power of prayer"!  I truly believe in the "power prayer" as I know God is listening to Margaret’s request because of how He is daily taking care of me.  

When I was, recently, chatting with Margaret on the telephone, she reminded me of her ritual in touching the lamp each time she walked by it. I could not help but think, however, of another“Lamp”that also brings us even that much more comfort, when reading one of my favourite inspirational Scripture verses, Psalm 119:105, “Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”

Without God's“Lamp”, that being His Word, and how it has guided me throughout my life and given me much comfort and peace, I cannot imagine where or what condition my life would be. I do know it would not be one of peace. For to “know” God is to “know” peace, but to have “no” God in my life, I would surely have “no” peace, but rather uncertainty, despondency, darkness, and despair. 

The greatest treasure we can have in our lives is to make sure and know Jesus is in the centre of our lives; thus, it is vital we daily turn to God's Word, which will keep us focused on what is most important in our lives and that is Him.  If you truly want to know your “purpose”  and your “potential” in life, I encourage you to read God’s Word for you will find it is not just about how He comforts us, but how we are to comfort others. Regardless of what is happening in our lives, God will take care of us when we put our complete faith and trust in Him. I am inspired when reading Jeremiah 33:3, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which you do not know" as well as Isaiah 26:3-4, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee. Trust ye the Lord forever; for in the Lord (God) is everlasting strength."  It is only through the Grace of God that I have the strength to face every day living with cancer, while passionately wanting to encourage others.  While embracing and being grateful for each day, God has blessed me more than I could have imagined with His ever-lasting peace knowing He will never abandon me. Just knowing this is so “comforting”, “assuring”, “reassuring” and “encouraging”. Nothing happens in our lives that God does not know about, whether good or bad. Yet, He will use it to His honour and glory if we trust in Him, while He is taking CARE of us! Hence, I ask, “Will you reach for His“Lamp” so He can guide you to a more fulfilling and peaceful life?” 

When God’s Lamp shines in your life,
no darkness can stand in its presence.
~ Bonita ~