Bruised but beautiful

Last spring me, my husband and baby daughter were in Shanghai where I attended women’s conference. One evening, we explored a nearby pedestrian street and had dinner there. Afterwards, we still sat down at one place with a terrace. A street seller passed by offering roses for sale. Jian was getting ready to refuse as one casually does to street sellers, but I signaled him that I wouldn’t mind a flower. So he bought me one of those. As we went on, I put the rose in the pocket of baby pram. By the time we reached back home in Suzhou, the rose was badly bruised, because there was no wrapping paper around. Feeling a bit sad for it, I anyways put the rose in the water. Interestingly, rose did open up nicely during coming days and the bruised outer petals were not much visible any more as they gave way to inner ones opening up. It was a beauty to behold. I have seen also that roses in bad condition with head already hanging down can be revived by fully immersing into water in the bathtub for instance, so the whole rose can drink its full.

Life bruises us at times, and some of those bruises are not easily healed even if we have been walking with God for quite a while. At times there are unanswered prayers, or things we long for, but do not have. However, despite all of that, it is possible to go on with the journey of faith. I love the following lyrics of songs – “my feet are bruised, but they will follow You” (King of my heart/Love&The outcome) and “even in the want I’ll follow You” (I will follow/Jon Guerra). When pressing through our disappointments to the presence of God, we have a promise that our hearts will revive (Psalm 69, 32). The hymn “Joyful, joyful we adore Thee” talks about it too - “God of glory, Lord of love; hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.” It is a nice parallel, imagining oneself as a bruised rose that is opening up in God’s presence with the bruised outer petals remaining at the back, not as visible any more, as more and more beauty from the inside is opening up and revealed. At times, it may be so bad that we need a full bath of God’s presence and love to make us well and strong again. If we have hung on through some tough stuff with God, there is something He can brag about us. Offering Him our heart and pressing on despite pain is a pleasing sacrifice that God honors.