Flowers From Thorns

When our souls lie barren in a winter which seems hopeless and endless, God has not abandoned us.  His work goes on.  He asks our
acceptance of the painful process and our trust that he will indeed give resurrection life. 1 Peter 1:7

In January, Dale and I along with the Hunts and the Kromnackers volunteered for a week in D'Iberville, MS helping with Katrina reconstruction through the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.  We were shocked at the destruction and how much work is still to be done so many months later.  Meeting and working with the residents, helping to make their life just a little bit easier, was a very rewarding and heart-wrenching experience.  We mucked, put up and took down drywall and insulation, and worked in the soup kitchen.



A portion of a devotional that we led one evening was entitled, "A Flower From a Thorn" by Elisabeth Elliot, taken from the Women's Devotional Bible 2, NRSV.  We compared the Katrina destruction to a thorn.  Even though a thorn has ugly, sharp points, a beautiful flower will soon appear.

"Are you sure that your problems baffle the one who since the world began has been bringing flowers from thorns?"

Reprinted with permission from the Shepherds in the 2006 St. Mark Lenten Devotional.