Roses Among Garbage

Have you ever felt worthless? Like garbage? I know I have. I grew up in a home that destroyed my self esteem and the kids at school just made it worse. I grew up feeling worthless.

Last week I began a Bible study at church to deal with my food addiction and the very first question in the workbook was to analyze when your addiction began and write out all events in your past that contributed to your addictive personality. Including all the hurts.

I did this exercise, but in doing so I relived all of the hurts and pain. I felt like garbage again.

This morning I went to prayer meeting at church and when I got home I had to throw something in the garbage. Since I was outside I just threw it in the garbage can outside. When I got to the can I saw 2 roses on top of the garbage bags in the can. They looked like they had just been picked and were very beautiful. Since they hadn't actually contacted the garbage and were still clean, I took them out and brought them in, trimmed the stems, and put them in water.

As I was doing this God spoke to my heart. These roses were among garbage, but they were not garbage. They were just as beautiful as they were when God made them. We are like that. No matter how much abuse and hurt we are subject to we are not garbage. No matter how much garbage is in our lives we are not garbage. We are just as beautiful as when God created us. And God created EVERYONE beautiful! To say anything else is to call Him a liar and insult His work.

When I took the roses in because I found them beautiful, trimmed them, and put them in water I extended their lives. What God wants to do with us, His beautiful creation, is to take us into His house and give us living water, to extend our lives forever. We are that beautiful to Him. Just ask Him and He will do it.

Just as the roses among garbage are not garbage, we are not garbage when we are among garbage. We are more beautiful to God than roses are to us!