Every fall in California we would cut our rosebushes back to nearly nothing. For about four months they looked like pathetic little dead sticks from which nothing could ever possibly grow again. But when spring came, they blossomed and bloomed profusely. First they grew hundreds of little buds. Then one by one they opened and burst into all shades of pink, purple, yellow, burgundy, and white. Abundant, fragrant, breathtaking, life-giving flowers that people driving or walking by would stop to admire. That’s what God wants to do with us. He wants us to be His rose garden. He wants us to have beauty and purpose, and to offer a lifegiving fragrance to those around us. But first comes the pruning. When God wants to make changes in our lives, … [Read more...]