I picked some roses up for $5 the other afternoon from a big box store. They looked a little questionable – like maybe they’d gone too long without enough water – but their color was arresting. So I brought them home, trimmed the ends, plunked them in some water, and they opened right up.
Sometimes we’re a lot like that. We need someone to see our potential beauty, to choose us, to cut away something from the past that’s keeping us from thriving, and to give us a good long refreshing drink. Then our full beauty comes out. We become what we were made to be and we delight those who behold us.
God does this for us – “I have called you back from the ends of the earth so you can serve me. For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:9-10). Under His care, you will be glorious.