We Expected Flowers; God Chose the Thorns

Have you ever received a gift you didn’t expect?

My best friend loves to cook and her kitchen is filled with every gadget known to man. While I like to bake, at one time my tools were limited to silverware, a few metal spatulas and a set of knives. It wasn’t a matter of finances; I simply didn’t know I was missing anything. One year, my friend bought me a rubber spatula and an egg separator. I looked at the rubber spatula and quickly pictured it as the perfect tool for spreading frosting! As for the egg separator; I had no clue and the look on my face prompted my dear friend to explain.

Thursday is Valentine’s Day. That special time of year we expect our special someone to show his or her love with chocolate, flowers, or maybe even diamonds! Why? Because someone at one time or another decided they served as symbols of love and the association has stuck ever since.

But not all symbols are obvious. What if I told you there is Someone who chooses to express His great love for you, not with flowers, but with thorns? Why thorns? The answer goes back to the Garden of Eden. Something happened when mankind rebelled against God, “the ground is cursed because of you…It will grow thorns and thistles for you…” (Genesis 3:17-18) Even worse, the relationship between God and man was severed and mankind was banished from the Garden altogether.

But because of God’s boundless love for us, God set in motion a plan to restore that relationship even before time began. Yet His gift did not reflect our preconceived ideas of what love should look like. It wasn’t a brightly-wrapped package tied with a pretty red bow. We expected flowers and diamonds and when we didn’t get it, we reciprocated with betrayal, blood and thorns. “They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head.” (Matthew 27:28-29) However, thank God that His gift of love does not conform to what our sinful nature seeks, but rather to what He knows our hearts need the most: His love and forgiveness. Jesus came to save us and “…redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…” (Galatians 3:13)

We expected flowers, but He gave us thorns, and I for one, am eternally grateful.

 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

(You may also like The Imperishable Gift, Lift Your Eyes,  Would a Good God Send People to Hell?)

Shadia Hrichi

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