I want to wish you and yours the most blessed Christmas! and a New Year filled with the goodness of Jesus !!
A Hidden Rose
The Ladies who were part of my Bible Study group gifted me with a gorgeous, huge bouquet of fall coloured flowers and foliage. After some time it was looking a little tired and needed to be sorted out, saving the parts that were still lovely.
I was separating the foliage, when I saw a large, wine coloured lump. As I lifted it out I realized it was a beautiful rose! I was surprised, as it did not at all fit the colours and style of the bouquet. . And I don't know how it happened - maybe its stem was shorter than the rest of the flowers/foliage stems but the rose was perfectly dried - its beauty preserved.
I was separating the foliage, when I saw a large, wine coloured lump. As I lifted it out I realized it was a beautiful rose! I was surprised, as it did not at all fit the colours and style of the bouquet. . And I don't know how it happened - maybe its stem was shorter than the rest of the flowers/foliage stems but the rose was perfectly dried - its beauty preserved.
As I held the rose, I knew it was the key to a devotional ! Immediately I thought of the Rose of Sharon from Song of Solomon 2:1 where it reads, "I am the Rose of Sharon...." The Song of Solomon has historically been interpreted as an allegory of Jesus and His love for the church. So the words , "I am the Rose of Sharon" are attributed to Him.
The first thought that came to me was that to many, Jesus is 'hidden'. He is there, but they don't see Him. Then one day, their eyes are opened and they find Him. It does not matter if they find Him sooner or later - He is waiting with all His love and beauty.
The beautiful Rose of Sharon grows in dry and hostile environments. I thought about how Jesus came into a sinful, dark world that contrasted in every way from the glory from which He stepped down.
I did a bit of digging to find the Hebrew meaning behind 'rose' and 'Sharon'. The word for 'rose' comes from an unused root meaning 'brightness or light'. and Sharon means 'beauty'. That is a fitting description of Jesus, isn't it? is He not the Light of Beauty ?
Without 'light' everything is in shades of grey because colour is not in an object - it is in the light. Without Jesus in our life, everything is dull and grey but with Jesus we live in His Light and we see beauty all around.
Just like the dried rose is preserved - it does not wilt, so Jesus is the same - yesterday, today and forever ! What hope, what great promise we have when we put our faith and trust in Him!
Without 'light' everything is in shades of grey because colour is not in an object - it is in the light. Without Jesus in our life, everything is dull and grey but with Jesus we live in His Light and we see beauty all around.
Just like the dried rose is preserved - it does not wilt, so Jesus is the same - yesterday, today and forever ! What hope, what great promise we have when we put our faith and trust in Him!
I love Christmas because it is a time we remember when 'love' and 'light' came into the world to save us from the kingdom of darkness and bring us into the Kingdom that shines with the glorious light of God's love ! (Colossians 1:13)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
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