| I’m almost certain that this year’s Thanksgiving edition of Mikey’s Funnies was written specifically to me. It includes a tale that is not only sad and thought-provoking, but stings personally and yet, has left me quite encouraged. The complete story can be found here{:class=fancyquote title=’Copyright © 2010 Mike Atkinson | www.mikeysFunnies.com’}. Go ahead and read it, I’ll wait. |
It goes without saying that each of us thank God daily for our “roses”, but any gardener will tell you that all roses come with thorns, and likely has the scares to prove it. The fact is, life is riddled with thorns.
Looking back, the past few years have been somewhat of a roller coaster. After High School, I was accepted to college on nearly full scholarship (rose), I made too many mistakes at said college (thorn, albeit self-imposed?), I began to get more involved with Church (rose), my Grandma died unexpectedly (thorn), I went from a decent job to a better one (rose), I got really sick unexpectedly and had to quit that job (thorn), I got even more involved with Church (rose), and this brings us to today, and the roller coaster continues.
Being involved with this church has led me back to College (there’s that rose again). Although, actually getting there has been a bit of a challenge. You see, this particular college is actually about 17 hours away from home. The home I’ve grown up in; the home I’ve lived in all of my life. But, thanks to God, I was accepted to this school a few months ago and am now gearing up to attend this coming January (rose). I actually got notice this week that my apartment on campus has been reserved (rose!).
However, figuring out how God wants me to pay for this adventure has been posed a bit of a challenge. Most of the scholarships I’ve found have required me to be a High School Senior (if only!) or in school already. So, I looked into an educational load. Though, I also found out this week that the loan isn’t going to work out quite as planned (thorn).
So, what have I learned from all of this? I’ve learned that life isn’t always rainbows and cupcakes. That in walking through the garden of Life, roses sometimes lead to thorns, and thorns lead to roses. It’s through this cycle that God teaches us to become more reliant on Him. In this way, we become a stronger person, and if we choose, a stronger Disciple.
I for one, am thankful for my thorns, even though I’ve rarely shown it! I’ll leave you with this prayer from Mikey’s story.
Dear God, I have never thanked you for my thorns. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to you along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of your rainbow look much more brilliant.
This is my prayer for this Thanksgiving season. What thorns are you thankful for?