He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11

Several days had passed since I bought the beautiful big, plump rose. I cut the stem at an angle, under water (as the directions suggested). Then I placed it in a special bud vase, and set it on my husband’s washstand. Ben loves roses, and although this flower didn’t have much fragrance, it was lovely to look at.

The flower just wasn’t opening like I thought it should.

“I’ll help it,” I thought. So carefully, I pried the blush color petals open.

Perhaps you have tried to force a flower to open before it is ready. It didn’t work for me, that’s for sure, to which the photo (attached) will testify.

So often I am impatient with how things are going, and I just have to get involved and try to “help” speed up the process. I am an action person, so have always prided myself on not procrastinating; rather taking the bull by the horns and jumping in.

Forcing this flower to open clearly brought home the message to me that, even though it is ok to be an action person, it is also wise to be patient. There is a rhythm, and a time, for everything. My impatience helps nothing!

Thank you , Lord, You make everything beautiful, in Your time.

That is Good News.

Ecclesiastes 3 1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Sally Ireland Kennedy is the author of “52 Little Parables from Ireland”, “Words from the Heart”, and “Irish Thursdays”. She lives in south Florida, with her husband, Ben. You can visit her website at http://www.sallyikennedy.comsallyikennedy@bellsouth.net