janetupnorth
Gold Member
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A former co-worker that I used to do a dept. Bible Study with just e-mailed me the following, I thought I'd share:
Thanksgiving Thorns
What arrangement will you have on your Thanksgiving table?
Thorns..... Thank You, Lord
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 with
others who suffer. "She has no idea 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 blurted 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 to 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 bad
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 friend 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 decided 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 trouble 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 choke 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.
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." - Deuteronomy 6:5
Thanksgiving Thorns
What arrangement will you have on your Thanksgiving table?
Thorns..... Thank You, Lord
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 with
others who suffer. "She has no idea 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 blurted 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 to 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 bad
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 friend 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 decided 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 trouble 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 choke 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.
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." - Deuteronomy 6:5