The Rose

“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” Proverbs 16:3

A young, new preacher was walking with an older, more seasoned preacher in the garden one day and feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do, he was inquiring of the older preacher. The older preacher walked up to a rosebush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals.

The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the WILL OF GOD for his life and for his ministry. Because of his high respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to TRY to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact…It wasn’t long before he realized how impossible it was to do so.

Noticing the younger preacher’s inability to unfold the rosebud while keeping it intact, the older preacher began to recite the following poem…

It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God’s design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so sweetly,
When in my hands they fade and die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God’s design,
Then how can I think I have wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

So I’ll trust in Him for His leading
Each moment of every day.
I will look to him for His guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way.

The pathway that lies before me,
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.

Related Posts

The Blue Ribbon

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centred Love them anyway If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway The good you do today will be...

Who packed your parachute?

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15 Charles Plumb was a U.S navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air...

Taking Aim

A young lady name Sally, related an experience she had in a seminary class, given by her teacher, professor Smith. She said Professor Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons. One particular day, Sally walked in and knew they were in for another interesting...

Anyway

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centred Love them anyway If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway The good you do today will be...

Oprah Winfrey and Billy Graham

Last year I watched Billy Graham being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on television.  Oprah told him that in her childhood home, she used to watch him preach on a little black and white TV while sitting on a linoleum floor. She went on to tell viewers that in his...

Lesson’s from Noah’s Ark

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lam 3:23 Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or …I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.Today I can grumble about my health or…I can rejoice that I am alive.Today I...

Today

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or …I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.Today I can grumble about my health or…I can rejoice that I am alive.Today I can mourn my lack of friends or…I can excitedly embark upon a quest to...

Choices

“If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.” Romans 14:18 Jerry is the manager of a restaurant in America. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he...

Rules of Wisdom

God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts. Dear God.  I have a problem.  It’s me. Growing old is inevitable; growing UP is optional. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted. Do the math.  Count...

Criticism

In “A Closer Walk”, Catherine Marshall writes: “One morning last week He gave me an assignment: for one day I was to go on a ‘fast’ from criticism. I was not to criticize anybody about anything. For the first half of the day, I simply felt a void, almost as if I had...

A 9-11 Story

“All things work together for good for those who love the Lord who serve Him according to His purpose” Romans 8:28 My father also had more news for me; he was going to help. ‘This is not something I can just sit by for, I have to do something.’ I was concerned for his...

In Step with God

The raw, direct encounters with God experienced by Old Testament Kings and prophets, give a huge insight into God’s character. As we see Israel’s rebellion after rebellion against God, even after repeatedly experiencing His miraculous hand and power, there are those...

Building God’s House

When King David, the “man after God’s own heart”, purposed in his heart to build a house for God, God’s response was “I will build you a house”. God proceeds to say that David’s son will build God’s house and God would establish him rock solid and His reign forever....

From Trust to Statistics?

Over the past year I have invested in multiple investment products and have seen volatility that has not been seen over years. It is easy to count assets in terms of financial value and net worth. There are times God blesses us with financial assets, there are times...

Disabilities

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me . . . for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  (Matthew 19:14, NIV) I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to...