On a whim, I bought myself some red roses the other day at the local market. Although I love all things green and colorful, there is something about a rose that fascinates me.
While the scent is intoxicating, and the varieties are breathtaking, it's the coil that does it for me. The tighter and larger the center coil of rose petals, the more I admire it. The result is a large, full, eye-catching bud/bouquet.
What is it about the coil? Perhaps I admire the perfection of it - the way in which all the buds lie one on top of the other in perfect symmetry. Each hip, combined with all the others, creates a remarkable piece of art. It is a picture of beauty, in which all the pieces must work together to achieve the desired effect of flawlessness.
Today, as I pulled the bouquet out of the vase to refresh the water, I noticed that two were already wilty. After pulling them out, I decided that they weren't ready for the trash yet, so I pulled the hips off and put them into a bowl.
Even though they were no longer a part of the bouquet, even though they were no longer no longer nestled together in perfectly-constructed layers, they were still beautiful. Each hip was still a brilliant red. Each hip was still glossy and silky. Each hip was still valuable, beautiful and worthy on its own.
Isn't that like us? We pride ourselves and admire each other for seemingly-perfect symmetry. When it seems as though all the layers - work, home, church, etc - or the people in our lives are seemingly-ideally aligned, we congratulate ourselves and others on the success - the beauty of achievement.
But here's the deal. The beauty of a moment is fleeting. Just as a bouquet lasts only for a short time, so does that which we call perfection. People chase that moment their whole lives, always wanting to recapture that feeling - of success, of admiration, of accomplishment. I think they are missing the point.
The whole is made up of pieces. Just as each rose hip is necessary to create a marvelous bouquet, so are the rose hips of our lives.
These rose hips are sometimes lovely and wonderful. Just as often, they are ugly or difficult. Always, there is beauty, if we choose to look for it. Likewise, the combination of them all creates the bouquet of our lives. It is a unique fragrance, created just for each one. Each hip is valuable, beautiful, and worthy on its own.
The moment we begin to truly see each hip for what it is, the moment when we begin to see other's hips for what they are, is the moment when we will see the beauty of life and the importance of grace.
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