Today I had to undergo the painful process of trimming the rose bushes in front of my home. It was difficult not merely because of the random thorns that made their way through my gloves, but because of the heartbreak I always endure whenever I am required to trim away the beauty of the roses. Yet, as I was clipping the bushes, the process taught me some valuable lessons as I listened to the whisperings of God instructing on the wisdom of the roses as well as the purpose of the thorns.

  • Across the entire world, roses are synonymous with beauty and love, and yet the thorns resting upon them shows us that beautiful things have some hurt attached to them. 

In the Bible, there was a man named Paul that complained about a thorn he carried with him that he spoke of as an ongoing problem. He even prayed three times to the Lord to have Him remove it; however, God did not answer his prayer (2 Corinthians 12:8), because God replied that His grace was sufficient or enough for Paul. Could it be that the thorns we carry or the burdens, heartbreaks, and pain that we endure serve as the heat to the diamond creating the very pressure that ensures our beauty? Maybe this is why God refused to remove the thorn. In God’s infinite wisdom as the Director of this great cosmic show called Life, He knew it was the pain that was helping to establish the purpose. He created both the light and the darkness, both the good and the evil, as one helps appreciate and understand the other. God also reassured Paul that he would never give him more than he could handle to finish his journey victoriously and with excellence. 

“But we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Romans 5:4-5

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
 James 1: 2-4

The thorns you wear, the things you have suffered are producing perseverance, inner strength, and confidence within you. They are instilling hope within you to believe in ways that will make what you previously deemed impossible more than possible for you. This process will not be a disappointment to you. Instead, these temporary struggles will infuse your entire being with the Spirit of God, purifying your heart. Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God. Your trials are allowing the love of God to be poured without measure into your hearts, and this love will heal all the places by which the thorns of life have pierced and prodded your soul. 

  • The trimming of your rose bush in making you mature and complete, not lacking in anything. 

As much as it pained me to trim my roses bushes, I knew that without the trimming, they could not continue to blossom and grow. You will grow through moments in your life where circumstances will change, and people will be removed from your life. You may experience seasons of tremendous trimming. Trust that God is working everything together for your good and that your temporary clippings are merely making room for new growth and an even fuller and more beautifully decorated life. 

  • Abraham Lincoln once said, “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” Life is a matter of perspective. 

We can complain about our struggles or see the resistance as a means to strengthen us so we can better endure a more profound and powerful journey. The stronger the climber, the higher the climb. The most conditioned athletes get to appreciate the most glorious views from the top of the highest mountain summits. Thank your opponents. Thank your circumstantial oppositions. If you can see them with the right perspective, you will be able to appreciate the contribution they are making towards the trimming of your soul so that you may blossom and grow more beautifully than ever before. 

  • Your thorns become your wisdom providing valuable guidance and protection for your journey.

Roses are popular targets for bees and other insects that help in pollination because of the wonderful fragrance of the flower. Although the fragrance of the rose is primarily to attract insects, animals are also attracted by the smell. This puts rose bushes in danger of being consumed by some herbivorous animals. This is why the sharp thorns are purposeful because animals that might try to eat the plant are deterred by the pain inflicted by the sharp thorns. It has also been discovered that the roses that have the strongest fragrance also have the longest and sharpest thorns to protect itself from the constant attention of the herbivores. 

Your thorns or your sufferings and difficult life circumstances are providing wisdom from lessons learned along your journey. That wisdom becomes guidance that offers protection from the hurdles, entrapments, challenges, and predators we often encounter along the pathways of life. 

Perhaps there was significant symbolism in why the crown worn by Christ was made of thorns. Could it be that our thorns or our sufferings ultimately become for us a crown of glory, leading to the resurrection of our soul? While some like to spit upon or look down upon the less than victorious moments of our life, it is those moments that push us towards our ultimate rising. It is in being brought low that we are lifted high. Our thorns ultimately become our thrones. They provide the path to obtaining a royal seat which rests upon the heart of the Divine. In this position, we serve as the benevolent, generous, merciful, and just kings and queens that we are destined to become. We become as the delicate rose protected and encased by thorns or wisdom from our life experiences, colorfully and delightfully decorating the world around us. 

  • Your thorns come before your roses. Your wisdom comes before your beauty. 

Thorns on a rose bush develop much before the actual flower. This happens because buds and young roses might be eaten away by animals before the flowers get a chance to spread their pollen with the help of insects if they do not have a sharp thorn system already. 

Without our thorns, without the wisdom from our sufferings, our beauty is fleeting and easily dissolved by this world. Our thorns or life challenges instill within us the internal virtues of kindness, forgiveness, mercy, love, and compassion that makes us flourish as the beautiful rose bush. Wisdom and virtues must come before genuine, authentic beauty can arise. 

  • The more challenging the environment, the stronger and more enduring you will become. 

Wild roses are found to have sharper and denser thorn systems than the ones we see in a nursery or in a greenhouse. This is due to the lack of necessity for defense mechanisms within the protected walls of the nursery. This prompts the rose bushes to develop less effective thorns over many generations. 

The crazier your life circumstances become or, the harsher the conditions, the stronger you will become. Like the rose bush, you will be divinely equipped to handle the wide-open spaces. You will be as the wild roses free to leave the confined spaces of the nursery. You will see things and experience things most roses that remain nestled and protected behind the walls of a greenhouse never get to experience. You will grow stronger defense mechanisms to handle the storms and predators of life more effortlessly. You will carry deeper and more profound wisdom within your roots. 

Stop and smell the roses.
Appreciate the blossoming and understand the wisdom in the trimming.
Relish in the process that is causing you to ultimately flourish
and provide rich beauty to the world around you.