Knockdown Roses
by Tina Yeager
‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever’”
(1 Peter 1:23-25).
My gray interior spaces fade in contrast to the glorious display outside my porch window. Cardinals, honeybees, and butterflies weave about the prosperous rose bush like a giddy fan club. Bloom clusters flourishing from every stem, I cannot help wondering how some thickets—and writers—seem kissed with heaven’s favor.
I admire the favored enough to seek my own fan-like view of the lovely garden. A closer look reveals drooping petals and tired, leggy branches. The knockdown roses have sent their precious nutrients into the garden as a blessing to its visitors. These bushes had been cut low and humbled to an ugly emptiness in the previous season. Soon, they will face another time of deep pruning. Yet the branches never fight the gardener’s work, nor do the bushes withhold anything of worth poured into them. For their significance and identity don’t rest in the amount or status of their blooms. The gardener pours life into the bush at its roots, and all glory depends upon his care.
Like knockdown roses, I’ve experienced seasons of humbling, nourishment, and opportunities to share my best. Yet my gardener allowed me to choose my attitude at each stage. When I focused on my own glory, knock-downs and wilting blossoms disheartened me. I struggled with purpose, identity, and belief in my writing dreams. I now strive to focus on the Lord’s glory, for he can bring growth and inspiration from devastation. He nourishes my core when my life isn’t flowering. In the moments of opportunity, my goal is to pour every beautiful word into his garden as a blessing to those who visit. Even one blossom can send a honeybee home with much-needed food, after all.
Lord, thank you for tending my soul as a patient and loving gardener. I depend upon your nourishment to my core, pruning to my burdened limbs, and opportunities to share your glorious love with others. Keep me mindful of you as the center of my purpose and joy. Amen.
Award-winning author, speaker, and licensed therapist, Tina offers messages of encouragement. Beautiful Warrior, releasing July 2019 (pre-orders available now), champions women’s significance. She enjoys writing nonfiction and speculative fiction while coaching online clients. Tina mentors four chapters in four states with Word Weavers International. Come visit her for a virtual cup of java at tinayeager.com.