As purposeful as weeping is to the one grieving the loss of a loved one, so needful are the thorns on the rose blooming in the garden.
Introspection for the sufferer, protection for the flower.
“It takes all sorts of weathers to make a year, and all tend to the same issue, of ripened harvests and full barns,” wrote Scottish Baptist minister Alexander MacLaren (1826-1910) famous for both pulpit and pen.
Which is more important; what matters most; why must both sorrow and sadness as well as love and gladness be guests in our home?
Yes.
The answer is yes.
Because without the pain of so great a loss, we would not appreciate so much the promise of so great a love.
Because without experiencing what we so much miss, will we ever seek, yearn, hope for it again.
Because without a broken heart, is there much reason to seek someone to mend it.
Even as thorns protect the blossom, so can loss portend otherwise unrealized blessing.
