“I am a rose of
Sharon, a lily of the valleys.”
Song of Songs 2:1
Though it’s usually read to children, The 'Little Rose of
Sharon' is a poignant story with a magnificent lesson for all of us. It tells
of a beautiful red rose that grew in a field of other flowers and trees near
the town of Sharon long ago. Just above the sweet rose was a fig tree where a
family of white doves had built a nest for their new eggs.
Looking all around, the rose was overjoyed at the beauty God
had given her and hoped He was pleased with her lovely red petals and sweet
fragrance. Indeed, God loved and little flower and smiled upon her every day.
One night a terrible storm came. The little rose swayed in
the wind, bending and twisting, trying to hold on. When the storm finally came
to an end she had survived with all her pedals and beauty intact.
But the little dove eggs that were in the fig tree above had
fallen to the ground just underneath the rose. Tired from the storm, the mother
and father doves could not lift the eggs back to the nest. Night came again and
it was very cold. The rose knew that if the baby doves were not protected they
would die.
With a smile, the lovely rose shed her beautiful red petals
over the baby dove eggs to keep them warm and safe from the cold night.
Not knowing what the rose had one the parents of the baby
doves had lost all hope. But, in the morning they saw a tiny movement
underneath the red petals. They flew down to this warm red blanket shouted with
joy as their newborn doves popped out.
The rose was happy that she had made this sacrifice, but was
afraid that God would no longer find her beautiful. When the Lord came to visit
the rose, He was more pleased than ever before. He told her, “My Son will one
day do the same for all mankind. He will give of Himself and sacrifice His love
just as you have done.”
Like the Rose of Sharon and Christ Himself, we are sometimes
called to sacrifice ourselves. And so it has been through the history of the
world and of our nation.
236 years ago, fifty-six men gathered in Philadelphia to
sign the Declaration of Independence. Their devotion to this new republic resulted
in untold sufferings for themselves and their families. Of the 56 men, five
were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their
homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army.
Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from
wounds or hardships of the war. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter
and trader, saw his ships sunk by the British navy. He sold his home and
properties to pay his debts and died in poverty.
At the battle of Yorktown ,
the British General Cornwallis had taken over Thomas Nelson's home for his
headquarters. Nelson quietly ordered General George Washington to open fire on
the Nelson home. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt.
There may be no reward here on earth for the sacrifices we
make to serve the Lord, those we love or a life-saving cause. But, rest
assured, the Lord God looks after you now and for eternity. Like the little
rose who dropped its beautiful pedals to save the baby doves, you are called to
be like Christ, a living sacrifice, in whom He is well pleased.
This week’s prayer
Dear Jesus, You have
called me to be a living sacrifice. Open my eyes to the everyday opportunities
to sacrifice myself so that others will see You in what I do. To Christ be all
the honor and Glory. Amen.
