| The Parable of the rose |
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"A certain man planted a rose and watered in faithfully and before it blossomed he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought.... How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?.... Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose and before it was ready to bloom, it died. So it is with so many people. Within every soul there is a rose: The God-like qualities planted in us at birth growing amidst the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and only see thorns, the defects. We despair, thinking nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential. Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone must show them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns and find the rose within others. This is the characteristic of love... to look at a person, to know their true faults. accepting that person into your life, while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Helping them to realize that they can overcome there faults. If we show them the rose, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over..." 'Unknown author' |
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