As Iron Rose Sisters, we celebrate the diversity of the beautiful roses found in God’s Garden. Yet we also acknowledge the thorns that hinder us.
As the sun was setting one summer afternoon, sweat dripping down into my eyes, I recognized how the contentment from filling my tub with blackberries and the anticipation of moist blackberry cobbler made up for my discomfort... for a time.
Every year, I enjoy picking blackberries: the memories of picking at Grandpa’s farm, the sweet fruit of labor in the hot sun, and the sense of accomplishment after reaching that one more, super-sweet berry, just out of reach.
Determined to traverse the entangling vines of wild blackberry bushes in order to get to the next bush with even larger berries, I became trapped. The temptation had been too great. The thorny vines that surrounded me snagged my clothes and dug into my skin. No matter which way I tried to move, I became even more entangled and the pain was increasing.
The thorns that characterize a blackberry bush are vicious, entangling, frustrating, and a hindering nuisance. Struggling to break free can make it even harder to dislodge the embedded thorns.
Thorns are not just found on blackberry bushes. How do we break free from them? And what about when we are ensnared by the thorns of others?
God invites us to break the thorns of destructive cycles that hinder our growth and our freedom. The thorns of our past do not have to define or ensnare us.
No thorn is too embedded for God to remove. No thorny vine is too entangling for God to break you free from.
When my mom Googled the purpose of thorns for blackberry bushes, the first answer that popped up was the recommendation to plant them on a wall or near a fence “in order to deter teenagers from climbing.” This was not the answer we were seeking, but it reminded me of how much we allow thorns to deter us.
Satan will use anything to deter us from freedom. Yet freedom is promised by the Thorn-breaker, Transformer of lives, and Redeemer of brokenness and pain.
What is a thorn you would like to ask God to break you free from? The Healer is loving, gentle, and kind, even if the freedom from thorns requires discipline, pruning, or pain.
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