Accept His Rose

Imagine you’re sitting on your couch wearing your favorite t-shirt, watching “The Notebook”, drinking your wine of choice, and dreaming of a love like Noah and Allie’s… And then suddenly, someone knocks on the front door. You reluctantly pause the movie and walk towards the door wondering who it could be. You open the door to find a young man holding a single rose. You’ve heard of him and you’ve talked to him a few times in your history class, but you had no idea he had such an interest in you. He hands the rose to you and asks to come in… and you say NO and CLOSE the door… in his FACE!!! Girl, what are you doing?!?!??!
You’ve denied that young man a chance to prove himself to you. You’ve shut him out of your heart before you even gave him the chance to get to know you, and you to know him.

Now, here is the thing with Jesus… He is that boy.

Every single day He comes and knocks on the door of our hearts. He stands there with a gentile smile, asking to come in and presenting us with a brilliant white rose. Some days, we open the door and invite Him to stay awhile. Laughing with Him and sharing in His goodness. Other days we close the door in His face. Yet when we close the door on Jesus, He doesn’t vow to never talk to us again or to ignore us… He comes back the following day with two roses! He doesn’t wish to withhold anything from us. He doesn’t deny us yesterday’s rose. We could close the door on Jesus every time He knocks… for months… years, even, but because He loves us so immensely and wants to share every rose He has to offer; He holds onto them. He makes a bouquet no man could ever imagine. He comes… relentlessly… and when we’ve finally decided our hearts need the fulfillment only He can give, He opens a vase big enough in our hearts to hold every rose we’ve denied.  

Jesus is a hopeless romantic who cannot dismiss His love for us. He cannot simply let us avoid Him and deny ourselves of pure, wholesome love. He pursues us. Every single day. He thinks of ways to brighten our day; like a flower growing out of a side-walk, or a baby’s laugh. He embraces us when we are hurting. He cheers us on as we set out into the world to accomplish big things. He longs for us. He desires a relationship with us.

When I think of Jesus on the cross, crying out: “I thirst!” (John 19:28) I don’t imagine He was thirsty for water. He was thirsting for us. Our yes to Him. He was in dire need to know and love each soul. He was not concerned that He was dying for our sins… He was concerned that we would never know the immense amount of love He longed to give us.

Imagine if you stopped denying the roses He offers you. What a beautiful life you would lead!
“Intense love does not measure, it just gives.” –Mother Teresa