Happy Thanksgiving #500

Surfing with Jesus #50011232007
Pastor Gene A. Dasher, Sr.
gene@SurfingwithJesus.com

Happy Thanksgiving, you will find your Thanksgiving card at the following
site. Thank you for allowing me in your home each week.
http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=HY27482779

The Blessing of Thorns

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes as she pushed against aNovember gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like aspring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minorautomobile accident stole her ease.

During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. Shegrieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband'scompany threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose annual holiday visitshe coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's
friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to
maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "She
has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder.
"Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered aloud. For a carelessdriver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For anairbag that saved her life but took that of her child?
"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her."I... I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra. "For Thanksgiving?Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the daywith a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving Special?" asked the shopclerk. "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 heroutburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have theperfect arrangement for you."
Then the door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "HiBarbara... let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walkedtoward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an
arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Except
the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped...there were no flowers.
"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk.
Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Whowould want rose stems with no flowers? She waited for laughter, butneither 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.
"Uhh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uhh... she just leftwith no flowers!"
"Right... I cut off the flowers. That's the Special... I call it theThanksgiving 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 very much like youfeel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to bethankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was
failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery."
"That same year I had lost my husband, "continued the clerk," and for thefirst time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had nochildren, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow anytravel.
"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.

"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've
always thanked God for good things in life and never thought to ask Him
why those good things happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever
ask! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I always
enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of
God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we'reafflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others.
"Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing herfriend 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 elsewalked in the shop.
"Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man. "My wife sentme in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement... twelve thorny,long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him atissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.
"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind me
asking why she wants something that looks like that?

"No... I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and Inearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with theLord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He
rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of
rose stems to remind her of what she learned from "thorny" times, and 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 to Him
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 saidto the clerk. "It's all too... fresh."
"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me thatthorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care
more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, 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 theaccident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelvelong-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?" asked Sandra. "Nothing." said the clerk."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
you'd like to read it first."
It read: "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."


1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Pastor Gene A. Dasher, Sr., 2355 Parkway Dr SE, Cleveland, TN 37323
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