Roses in the Garden

Today, Joe and I spent the day at Home Depot. I know for some people this would seem like the worst way to spend a day, but I simply loved it. I love going up and down the aisles, getting ideas of all the things “we” can do for our new home. But as much as I love daydreaming, my favorite place above all is the garden center. I could spend hours in there imagining how I can create the most spectacular yard and garden.

As we turned the corner into the garden center, I became like a child at Christmas. I grabbed one of the long platform carts and headed straight to the roses. During my first marriage, my now ex-husband had planted stem roses along the side of our house and knockout rose bushes down by our creek. I enjoyed walking outside every day and stopping to…yes, smell the roses. After our divorce and losing the house, I longed for the time that I could have my own home again and plant a rose garden.

Standing in front of the stem roses, Joe asked which one I was going to get. I simply laughed and told him that I was going to get one of each. Afterall, who doesn’t want to enjoy the splendor of God’s creation in every color? I grabbed peach, orange, yellow, white, pink, red, and red with white roses. After I loaded our cart with the seven stem rose pots, I dashed over to the knockout roses. Glancing at the soft peach ones, I quickly grabbed seven pots and loaded them onto the cart as well. Looking at Joe, I informed him that these were going to make a beautiful hedge on the side of our house. Shaking his head, he just laughed at me and my giddiness as I ran about getting supplies to plant them. I truly was in Heaven. There is just something about roses in a garden that warms my heart.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Joe and I returned home with our treasure trove. I felt an exhilarating rush as we unloaded the car and I began planning the layout for our garden. Each stem rose would find its perfect spot along the back of the house, just off of our deck so I could access them easily. The different colors were going to create a beautiful tapestry while their beautiful fragrance would fill the air. The knockout roses were finding their place on the side of the house, where they would form a dazzling hedge of soft peach blossoms.

Once I began planting the stem roses, I stepped back and looked at my accomplishment. I had to admit that at that moment, the roses did not look like much. They were just branches filled with thorns, but soon they would be bursting with color and life. I giggled to myself grasping the fact that my life looked like that for the longest time before I met Jesus. I was just a branch, full of thorns, guarding anyone from getting close to me. But once I began walking with Jesus and my relationship grew, my spirit and heart began to blossom. Jesus had tended to the garden of my life and cultivated me into the person I was created to be. As I continued to reflect, I suddenly felt God’s presence in the gentle breeze as it lightly touched my cheek.

Taking one more glance at the roses before I headed off to my next gardening task, I realized that my roses were going to be much more than something beautiful for me to look at. They will serve as a reminder of the boundless beauty and grace that God has bestowed upon me. They will represent the fact that God transforms the gardens of our lives through renewal and redemption, providing us new beginnings and strength. The roses, with their glorious blooms, will remind me daily of His everlasting love and the promise of His eternal kingdom. And I thought to myself, maybe, this is why God made roses.

What is your favorite flower or plant? What does your ideal garden look like? Have you ever felt the presence of God or a spiritual connection while engaging in nature or gardening? How do you incorporate beauty and grace into your daily life? Please share in the comments.