Today my guest is multi-published author Linda Rondeau. Her latest is a take on that wonderful James Stewart movie we all love. It Really is aWonderful Life! is available at http://www.amazon.com/It-Really-IS-Wonderful-Life/dp/1938499433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352160329&sr=8-1&keywords=it+really+is+a+wonderful+life.
Lessons from a Rose Bush
I mowed the lawn with a heavy heart that day, convinced my son, the poster boy for Dr. Dobson’s, The Strong Willed Child, was beyond help. Every stage of development from pre-natal to college was characterized by bitter battles and floods of tears. I had pounded Heaven with desperate prayers, but he continued down a destructive road. Distracted by despair, I almost missed it, until a bird flew by and I looked up to see that bush, barren for fourteen years, loaded with velvety red roses.
When we had moved into our new home, I spotted the ugly thing. “It’s a weed. Uproot it,” I said.
My husband had more faith. “It looks a little like a rose bush. Let’s leave it alone for a year or two and see what happens.”
What did I know about nurturing a rose bush? I’d rather be on the golf course than trying to convince a stupid bush it better bloom or else. Fortunately for the bush, my husband’s wishes prevailed. Over the next few years, the unclassified, scrawny-looks-like-a-rose-bush thingy continued to grow, but never blossomed until that very special day when God let me see that all things, including sons and rose bushes bloom by God’s calendar, not mine.
That day, when I feasted on the miracle before my eyes, God spoke to my heart. “Trust me with all that you have, and in due season, I will bring it to bloom.”
The rose bush took fourteen years to reach its potential. My son’s maturity took a little longer, but I am proud of the man he has become: moral, courageous, sensitive, a model employee, a faithful friend, and soon-to-be devoted husband. Though I am pleased, I know I cannot take credit for these attributes. When I was helpless, God heard my prayer, and in His good time, brought forth fruit in due season.
Oddly, the bush only bloomed one year, the year when hope seemed the bleakest. I thank God for the assurance he gave me in that moment, to witness the beauty of fulfillment. He knew what I did not, that He was already at work in producing yet another miracle, molding the heart of a rebellious child, as He had molded my thankless heart when so many judged me a hopeless cause, doubting I would ever return to my Father’s arms.
Whenever I think I am faced with futility, God reminds me of that bush and how He is still working in my child’s life, as well as mine. He reminds me that His grace transcends what man has deemed unsalvageable. Who am I to judge what will or will not be a thing of beauty? For it is God who has called the stubborn and undisciplined as well as the weak and confused, those who need Him the most, the ones who must be nurtured and cultivated in His time and in His grace alone.
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of notable birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1Corinthians 1:26 – 27 NIV).
Winner of the 2012 Selah Award for best first novel (The Other Side of Darkness/Harbourlight), LINDA RONDEAU, writes stories of redemption and God’s mercies. Walk with her unforgettable characters as they journey paths not unlike our own. After a long career in human services, mother of three and wife of one very patient man, Linda now resides in Florida where she is active in her church and community. Readers may visit her web site at www.lindarondeau.com. Her second book, written under L.W. Rondeau, America II: The Reformation, Trestle Press, the first in a dystopian trilogy, is a futuristic political now available in ebook on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. Also with Trestle Press is her serial story, Rains of Terror which can be found on Amazon.Com. A Christmas Adirondack romance , It Really IS a Wonderful Life, is now available through Amazon.com, published by Lighthouse of the Carolinas.
You can reach Ms. Rondeau at https://twitter.com/lwrondeau, http://www.facebook.com/booksbylindarondeau and http://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=It+Really+IS+a+Wonderful+Life
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Thanks for the encouraging post, Linda. I’ve got a poster child for “The Willful Child,” too! He’s four, and sometimes I feel like just smacking my head against the wall. But God gave him to me for a reason. Your post encouraged my day. 🙂
Patty, thank you for the encouraging words to anyone with a “Willful Child”.
Thank you for sharing your story. It is worth remembering that God’s timing is always perfect. It is very encouraging.
That is so true. Thank you for coming by.
Encouraging and hope-filled message. Thanks for sharing it, Linda.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the images on this blog loading?
I’m trying to find out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
No one’s had problems that I know of. Sorry for the difficulty you’ve been having. You might want to clean out your cookies folder. Sometimes that helps.