The Parable of the Rose

Tonight at our training, this poem was given to each leader. I thought it was beautiful and hoped you might enjoy it too. It carries a message in it that I very much needed to hear.

The Parable of the Rose
by Ralph Gardiner

It is not recorded in scripture . . . Christ never uttered it as such . . . but it is evidenced by every word He spoke, in every deed He performed.

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully, and before it blossomed he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom . . . and he also saw the thorns. And he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?" Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and before it was able to bloom, it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose..the Godlike qualities planted in us at birth, growing amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns . . . the defect. We despair, thinking that nothing good can possible come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never reach our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone must show it to them. One of the Savior's greatest characteristics was that he was able to show people the Kingdom of Heaven within them. He was able to reach past their thorns and show them the rose.

This is the characteristic of love . . . to look at a person, and knowing his faults, recognize the nobility of his soul, and help him to realize that he can overcome his faults. If we show him the rose, he will conquer the thorns. Then will he blossom, bringing forth thirty, forty, sixty, or a hundred-fold as it is given to him.

Our duty in this world is to help our brothers and sisters by showing them their roses and not their thorns. Only then can we achieve the love the Savior wants us to feel for each other; only then can we become perfect as He wants us to be and blossom in the garden of His Father.

Let me echo the words that my husband posted a few days ago and express my deepest gratitude for having the friends that I do. You help me see past my innumerable thorns. You give me hope that there is a beautiful rose inside myself. Because of you, I know the Savior's love more personally. You help transform my life into a stunning garden. I love you!