Although the florist was just a few blocks away, I had to will myself to trudge down the street. It had not been a good year; in fact it had been a while since it had really been a good year. It seemed that everything that could go wrong had! And now it was time to prepare for Thanksgiving. “Thankful for what?” I thought as I continued to make my way toward the florist.
Fall used to be my favorite time of the year - until it became the season when both of my parents passed away. A recent move had taken me away from the friends and family I have known and loved all my life. Financial hardship, pressure at work, and bouts of extreme loneliness made me feel as though my world was collapsing around me. To make matters worse, no one would be able to be here this year to spend the holidays with us. It certainly wouldn’t be much fun to do all the seasonal preparations knowing that there wouldn’t be family or close friends to share the season with. Prospects for a happy holiday seemed as distant as the California beaches I grew up near!
As I reached the florist, I opened the door to find a smiling woman behind the counter. “A regular Pollyanna” I thought. “I’m glad Someone is able to be happy!”
“Good morning“, the clerk said. “What can I do for you this beautiful morning?”
“I need a Thanksgiving arrangement,” I said. “It doesn’t need to be very large because it’s just the 2 of us this year.”
Just at that moment, a harried mom with three toddlers crashed through the door. “Good morning, Sally” the mom said. “Just running in to pick up my order!” “Be right back,” Sally said. She disappeared into the back room and reappeared with a box of roses - the strange thing was that the roses had no blossoms. Sally smiled as she handed the box to the mom. “Special as always” the mom said as she handed Sally the money for her “arrangement”. “Have a great Thanksgiving and I’ll see you before Christmas!” And with that, she and her kids headed out the door.
“Uh, what kind of arrangement was that? She paid for roses with no blooms? What kind of florist is this?”
“Well,” Sally said. “It’s actually…” but before she could finish her sentence, a nicely dressed man walked in. “Just here to pick up the wife’s order” he said with a grin. “Ok, Ken. Be right back!” Sally reemerged again with another florist box - and the same blossomless roses inside! “Thanks, Sally. Happy Thanksgiving! Oh, and ma’am, I highly recommend the Special!” He grinned, turned, and headed out the door.
“You call that the Thanksgiving special?” I stammered. “A bouquet with no blooms? Now I’ve heard everything!”
“Well, you see, a few years ago I was feeling exactly as you are today. My parents had both passed away, my children lived too far away to travel home for the holidays, & we were in financial trouble, unable to go to them. I was as lonely and miserable as I’ve ever been. The holidays loomed ahead like a thick, black cloud. I was anything but thankful! Then God showed me something that I’ll never forget. I was trimming up some roses when He spoke into my heart. He said, “Sally, you’ve always thanked me for the good things I’ve given you but I want you to learn to also thank Me for the thorns. “
“I realized that what He was saying was that while His good gifts are easily seen and appreciated, we often learn much more from the things He allows us to experience that seem hard and harsh. I’ve learned to trust Him and to look for His lessons in everything that comes my way, not just the obvious blessings. Don’t misunderstand me. The hard things are still hard - loneliness, illness, grief, financial struggle; these things are still Thorns, but I’ve learned to give thanks for them just the same. I know that God is in control, that He has my best interest always in His mind, and that He will see me through. It’s not that the thorns have disappeared, it’s just that my attitude towards them has changed. I don’t fear them anymore, and have learned to thank God that He trusts me enough to know that I will let Him help me through whatever comes!”
“Hmm! I think I understand now,” I said. “Since we are supposed to be thankful in every circumstance, and for all things, the thorns remind us that even though painful things happen, we wouldn’t appreciate our blessings as much if life was always just full of Roses!”
“I think you understand perfectly,” Sally said. “It takes both sunshine and rain to make rainbows. And without thorns, roses are too vulnerable to bloom.”
“You have sure given me something new to think about this year,” I said. “I will take one of your Thanksgiving specials…and Happy Thanksgiving, Sally!”
As I walked home, I thought about what Sally had said and silently prayed:
Dear Lord, I have so often thanked You for all of the wonderful blessings You have given me, but I have never thanked You for my thorns. I know that You are always with me and that You shield my life from everything that would truly harm me. You love me enough to let me learn life lessons of trust and courage, and through those things I learn to appreciate Your care & faithfulness. Thank You for the things that are hard and painful. Help me remember, Lord, that You experienced many thorns during your walk on earth, and you endured them all for me, including the crown of thorns You wore on the cross. My thorns are nothing compared to what you have suffered. So I am going to learn to be thankful in spite of my circumstances. Thank you for Sally and her willingness to share this lesson with me. I love you, Lord, and I Thank you, even for my thorns…Amen!
**So... As you go through the Thanksgiving season, remember to thank God for your thorns, for the lessons you have learned or will learn from them, and the experiences with God you will someday be able to share with others. Perhaps you can share some of them around your Thanksgiving table or over coffee with a friend in the coming days. Whenever and however God leads, just remember to thank Him. He is always faithful, always there with you, and always loves you with the purest and most precious love possible.
(Deut.7:9; Jer.31:3; I Thess. 5:18, Ro. 8:28, 38-39)
Happy Thanksgiving! I love you! Jan
***This story was revised and adapted from a story circulating on the internet that was written by George Matheson (I think). Perhaps its message will turn into a tradition in your home! I know it has changed how I view Thanksgiving! God Bless you!
No comments:
Post a Comment