You Really Want My Bed of Roses?

Yes, it's Monday again. Was it Mondays that I decided to write a blog post? I can't remember. Well, anyway, it's been about a week, and I have to admit, last week was really crazy. This week should be better, with Spring break (even though I still work - 4 days instead of 3 days this week! And also orchestra practice goes as normal. F&M's Spring break is next week.... :/). In all though, my week was pretty super. I had a great time at orchestra practice Monday, and school has been going well. My brownies for Wednesday night Bible study turned out pretty good, and I enjoyed spending time with my church family! They are so awesome. This week I also helped out with my Human Trafficking class' service project, which was really awesome. We were creating gift bags for thirty ladies who are prostitutes, or who work in strip bars and massage parlors, etc. We had such fun Thursday during class filling the bags with candy and makeup and such.... I love my class and I loved working with them.

Also, Friday I attended my dear friend Sammie's bridal shower. She is such a sweet and awesome person, and I'm so glad I know her. :D I will be in her wedding this April... So excited for that. :)

Friday night I slept over at the house of some of the most awesome and fun people I know... I always eat well when I'm there! :) I of course stayed up late talking with Linda... and the next day I drove to Elizabethtown to attend a workshop on understanding people who live in poverty. It was a very good workshop, and I feel like I will be able to use that information in my work with inner city kids.

Volunteering at The Mix at Arbor Place has been going well. I love working there, and I love the kids. Especially the younger kids, but I want to work with the older kids too. Right now it feels strange working with highschoolers because I still feel so young, even though I'll be twenty in about five months.... I guess it's cause I look so young, and perhaps because of what one of Zach's brothers said to me two years ago about looking like I am twelve... I don't think I'll ever forget that! :P

Anyway, I meant to write a philosophical post about the concept of life being a bed of roses. It's very interesting to note how that saying, "Life's not a bed of roses" is actually a false statement. I would argue that life IS a bed of roses! If you think about the rose plant, there's a lot more to the bush than the pretty flowers. Several things came to my mind. One is obvious - there are thorns! And another one - it's not super easy to keep a rose plant alive, especially not at first. Beautiful roses are not simple to grow, and in fact the beautiful roses you see in flower shops are grown in carefully maintained environments. They are just what their name is - hot-house roses!

When we think about this in regards to our lives, it's important to keep a proper perspective. First of all, no one (at least no one I know) looks at a rose bush and says "Oh what a bother this bush is! I don't like roses! They're so full of thorns, and hard to take care of, and I have to cover them in the winter!" No, I don't think that would be a common response. When we think of a rose bush, we think of the roses and the thorns too. Our life is like that rose bush, and if we focus on the difficulties and hardships associated with life, then it's like looking at the rose bush and not noticing all the beautiful blooms. It's like deciding that because the roses only last for a certain amount of time, having a rose garden is not worth it.

Another way to think about it: You know how we look at other people's lives and say, "Wow, they really have it together! They have such a nice and easy life." I think we tend to judge everyone else's lives because we think we would be able to handle their struggles better, or because we simply don't think that they have struggles! That would be like if we would focus only on the rose, and ignore the thorns.

Now I know these aren't perfect examples, but they're something to think about. I like to think of my life as a rose bush, covered with thorns, and sometimes bare of flowers, but cultivated well by my Jesus, so that I can always look forward to the season when the roses bloom!

Peacing out....

-joelle-