THANKFUL FOR THE THORNS

Here is a nice story someone fowarded to me on email, read on and do some reflections


Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes when she pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of wind. Her life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then, in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy. This was Thanksgiving week and the time she should have delivered their infant son. She grieved over their loss.



Troubles had multiplied. Her husband's company "threatened" to transfer his job to a new location. Her sister had called to say that she could not come on her long awaited holiday visit. What's worse, Sandra's friend suggested that Sandra's grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer.



"Had she lost a child? She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life, but took her child's?"



"Good afternoon, can I help you?" Sandra was startled by the approach of the shop clerk.



"I.... I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.



"For Thanksgiving?" Sandra nodded. Do you want the beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the 'Thanksgiving Special'? I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"



"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."



Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new customer, "Hi, Barbara... let me get your order." She excused herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.



"Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk.



Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. "Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again." She said, as she gently tapped her chest.



Sandra stammered, "That lady just left with, uh.... she left with no flowers!"



"That's right, said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers. That's the 'Special'. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."



"Oh, come on! You can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!" exclaimed Sandra.



"Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do, today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into drugs; and she was facing major surgery."



"That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk. "For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to allow any travel."



"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.



"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I NEVER questioned Him why those GOOD things happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, "WHY? WHY Me?!" It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."



Sandra sucked in her breath, as she thought about the thought that her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is, I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."



Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" the clerk greeted the balding, rotund man. "My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement. .. twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.



"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that?"



"No... I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago, my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem. The Lord rescued our marriage. Jenny (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from "thorny" times. That was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us." As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"



"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too... fresh."



"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember that it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."



Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.



"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."



"Thank you. What do I owe you?"



"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."



It read: "My 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."



Praise Him for the roses; thank Him for the thorns.



God richly bless you

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF YOUR ACTIVITIES?

There are many things that occupy our time. These are the things that contribute to build or destroy our future. We should be careful to make sure that we do not waste our time doing things that add little value to our lives. One should evaluate his/her various activities, tasks and preoccupation to find out their contribution in his/her life. There are many things that we do and that take a lot of our time that add no value to our lives. Anything that brings little value to our lives should be shunned in favour of things that are of more value to our lives. What is the need of spending four hours daily watching movies that do not benefit you in any way? Or chatting all evening everyday of the week while you could study or read a beneficial material?
We should not waste our time or let life slip through our fingers. Lets us not sleep walk, but let us take conscious measures to know and pursue our purposes in life. Each one of us was created to accomplish a purpose in life according to God’s plan. Each one of us has special abilities which we should use in pursuit of our purpose in life. Let us seek to know and pursue our purpose in life. After knowing our purposes and establishing our special abilities, its time to get focus by making sure every activity, every task contribute in a way to our wellbeing and purpose in this life.

VISION OF WEMANet.


Vision

Impact the generation in a positive way.

Mission

To create a network of people who are willing to share with others in the society in any positive way so as to affect their generation and generations to come in a positive way. This may be in any form and size as far as it is positive.

Everyone can do something

I believe that each one of us can do something positive for the sake of our generation. God has given us talents and abilities that we should utilize to impact our society in a positive way. Start today. Do something positive and keep doing it.

Operation

My wish is we use this forum to pursue the vision of impacting the generation in a positive way. This can be done by:

• Sending messages to inspire others to do good in the society.

• Holding meetings, talks, forums to build each other and on ways of creating a positive impact to our generation.

• Joint activities for members of the group that are geared toward impacting our generation in a positive way. These activities may include: visit to charity centres, community work, visit to our villages to inspire hope to students and residents, visit to famine struck areas to distribute foodstuff etc.

• Inform each other of events and opportunities for impacting the society in a positive way. For example, I know of a group that is running a program dubbed “operation back home” whereby we go back to our villages to create a positive impact by helping the students, starting economic activities to improve the lives of the residents, planting trees and other activities. I will be posting testimonies of what has been done so far.

• Sharing testimonies of people who are impacting the generation in a positive way. I will post the testimonies I have and will continue doing so. I expect other members will be doing so also.

Target

I target that the group will have about 10000 members by the end of this year.

I also target that we will have a website for the group by end of this year.

I share all this so that we may all take our positions as members and work together to reach this targets. Please send your contributions and comments on how we can affect our generation in a positive way and how we can make the group better.

Lets also invite our friends to join the group. Tell them to use this link http://groups.google.co.ke/group/wemanet and click on the “join this group” tab on the left of the window.

Examples of ways to affect the generation

1. Sharing ideas to impact others

2. Sharing material things with the less privileged

3. Mentoring and discipling others

4. Inspiring/Encouraging others

5. Sharing Christ with others

6. Visiting less privileged

7. Reaching back to the villages we come from

8. Giving time and expertise to serve society

9. Contributing to issues of concern in the society

10. Smiling at others, don’t undermine it!

Conclusion

Do good, starting today.

Eccl 12: 13 – 14 (NIV)

13 Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,

including every hidden thing,

whether it is good or evil.

IMPACTING OUR GENERATIONS IN A POSITIVE WAY

Welcome to this blog.
The aim of this blog is to affect the generations in a positive way.
And as every journey starts with one step, today is the big day that I take the first step to start affecting the generations in a positive way through this blog.
Check out this blog for more inspiring and generation-changing content.
My aim of blogging is affecting my generation and generations to come in a positive way. I believe that each one of us can contribute positively to his or her generation. I have taken my first step and am aiming to ascend high.
WELCOME ALL
Am also welcoming all those who have an aim of creating positive change in our generation to connect with me so that we share ideas and insight. God gave each one of us some potential which we should use positively for His glory. Be a part of this blog and let us impact our generation.
Your comments and contribution are welcome.
God bless you.

Yours,
Njau Kinyanjui