From The Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
President Abraham Lincoln is credited with the following quote: “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or we can rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
I feel that this quote is more than the standard optimist versus pessimist scenario.
In my opinion, it seems to go beyond that and graduate from positive outlook to a change of attitude and approach.
We are conditioned to focus on the negative, which is the mantra of our mainstream media, but what if we decided to swim upstream instead?
At the end of his life Moses gave four sermons to the people of Israel, and these are contained in the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy.
Towards the end of that book Moses makes a remarkable statement which places the onus on the people for the consequences of their future.
Here is what he said in Deuteronomy 30:19: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”
Did you catch that?
The people had two options, but the choice was theirs as to which one they wanted.
Problems and conflict are inevitable in this life, but we can choose how we want to go forward and tackle them.
Perhaps you have an issue you are dealing with that has caused you some pain or undue struggle.
I encourage you to look at things differently and choose to see the roses growing amongst the thorns.
