Beauty in the Thorns

“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.”      ― Alphonse Karr

I must admit, I’m not particularly sorry to see 2013 end. It’s been a year filled with unrelenting struggles, disappointments, illness and financial challenges for us. It’s been one rough patch after another all year long. It’s been exhausting!

I was inclined to write off the whole year as a loss.  But, today, as I spent some time prayerfully reflecting over the past twelve months, I realized that I’ve been focusing so intently on the tangled briars that were continually threatening us, that I’d forgotten some very special bits of beauty that had peeked out between those daunting thorns.

God reminded me that when I was at a total loss as to what to do next, he sent Dr. Chuck Stecker to guide and encourage me through the process of getting my first sexual addiction recovery book published. Ultimately, Chuck not only generously volunteered to write the forward, but also introduced me to some amazing men and women of God, many of which ended up providing input and writing endorsements for the book. I am honored to know them all!

Just months after the book was released, we were again blessed by unexpectedly being able to spend a week with some very, very special friends. It was an awesome time of refreshing at the very time that we needed it the most.

Little did I realize that God had yet another book for me to write in 2013—this one for the spouse’s of those struggling with sexual addiction. I truly felt God directing me in the writing. He also brought some brave women who know what it is like to find out that their husband struggled with sexual addition to write the forward and endorsements. That book has just been released within the last few weeks.

Most of the year we had been struggling with some leaking and other issues in both of our bathrooms and the roof of our bedroom.  We didn’t know how, with everything else that was going on, we would ever be able to afford to get them repaired, but a first time ever opportunity for my husband to cash in a week of vacation time and a very talented and reasonably priced handyman allowed us to get both our bathrooms back in top working order. We were so blessed and relieved that we no longer had to worry about the floor caving in some day.

We were further surprised by a Christmas night call from an old friend who happens to be a roofer. He said he’d been thinking about the bedroom leak we’d mentioned to him some months before and said that if we could afford to buy the materials (at his cost) he wanted to re-roof our bedroom area as a Christmas gift to us.  He was ready to start the next morning. Just a couple of days later our leaky roof had been fixed. Not a quicky patch job, but a quality roof, done by the guy that solves the tough roofing problems for his company. Amazing!

These are the kind of things that happen to other people—not us. And yet they DID happen to us. It was a rough year, for sure. But God was there all along, sprinkling special gifts and blessings among the brambles we were battling.

Maybe it’s been a rough year (or years) for you as well. I want to encourage you that as much as we may feel it in our weariness, we are never alone. God is right there beside us. And . . . every once in a while . . . he shows us a glimpse of his beauty and love. We just need to ask for eyes to see and hearts to receive his special gifts to us.

I am so grateful tonight, that God didn’t let me leave 2013 without reminding me of all the beauty this year has actually held, even in the midst of the thorns.

What special gifts are you most thankful for this year? Please leave a comment, so we can rejoice with you over God’s loving kindness to you, as well.