Picking Flowers in the Garden of Suffering
GCD Newsletter 22nd November 2023
I didn’t know the names of the flowers. Oddly, the only flower I could ever remember was the forget-me-not. To me their names were solace and peace, shelter and hope, beauty and friend.
My house was no home, school wasn’t safe, and church had become hostile. The flower gardens were always open though and almost always empty. The odd gardener would ignore me and I him. I would just walk with God through the gardens and pray—mostly wordlessly—hoping that one day I’d be able to pick the flowers I’d named.
Over the years, I’ve found more than just solace and ever-lasting peace, I’ve been blessed with shelters I could call home and my future is hopeful, I’ve seen more beauty than I can describe and I’ve known friendship such as I’d never hoped to find. I’ve been able to pick and plant and nuture those flowers and see them bear fruit in both my life and the lives of others, yet, I still suffer.
When I was young and walking through the gardens I thought that suffering meant I was unable to receive blessing, not recognising that had I not suffered I would never have entered the gardens in the first place. It took time and encouragement to allow myself to pick the first, and the second, and then, even through my pain, to encourage others to do likewise.
God has granted some of life’s greatest blessings in gardens of suffering, so if you find yourself there, don’t be afraid to ask, to pick, to plant.
Grace and Peace,
Adsum Try Ravenhill is married to Anna and together they are passionate about seeing young men and women discipled within the context of the local church. You can find Adsum through his writing at The Raven’s Writing Desk and you can also find Adsum’s articles for GCD here.
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