A young, new preacher was walking with an older, more seasoned preacher in the garden one day and feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do, he was inquiring of the older preacher. The older preacher walked up to a rosebush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals. The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the WILL OF GOD for his life and for his ministry. Because of his high respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to TRY to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact...It wasn't long before he realized how impossible it was to do so.
Noticing the younger preacher's inability to unfold the rosebud while keeping it intact, the older preacher began to recite the following poem...
UNFOLDING THE It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine. The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so sweetly,
When in my hands they fade and die. If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design,
Then how can I think I have wisdom
To unfold this life of mine? So I'll trust in Him for His leading
Each moment of every day.
I will look to him for His guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way. The pathway that lies before me,
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
I'll trust Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.
The pathway that lies before me,
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
I'll trust Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose. That is beautiful, Dubya!Sometimes, when we are too busy with all our cares in the world, we forget that He is there for us. I love this one too, one of my all time favorites:
Footprints In The Sand
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking
along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed
scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand;
one belonged to him and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked
back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path
of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed
that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.
"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed
that during the most troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand
why when I needed you the most you would leave me.
The LORD replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you
and I would never leave you. During your times of trial
and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."
This Painting made Danny Famous All Around The World.
Published at the beginning of his career along with the poem,
"Footprints In The Sand" by Mary Stevenson in 1938