The resilient rose

I was online, searching for information on the desert rose and stumbled on some pictures. Wow! 3 words! Beautiful. Brilliant. Breathtaking! I never imagined they looked like that. The word desert itself does not immediately conjure up such visions of beauty. Think dry, dusty & dehydrated instead! Apparently, the desert rose a.k.a adenium or impala lily is a unique breed. One website said they are recognizable at a single glance coz they look like no other plant.

As i was reading .... i was reminded how last year, i was moaning to God about how much i disliked being in a period of dryness and being unproductive. You know when your prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling and life is temporarily suspended in time? (Seems as though, much of my life experiences this kind of weather.) Well, after i was done moaning (God listened quietly, coz He's such a good listener!) He offered, "I've got a new name for you - Desert rose". I asked Him, "Desert rose? Why desert rose?" He chuckled, "You prefer cactus?". That cracked me up but no i certainly didn't want to be called a cactus.

In my mind it means someone who reacts to a difficult situation by building protective defenses around them - becoming bitter & unapproachable in the process. On the other hand, the desert rose is someone who chooses to bloom regardless of what they have to endure. Interestingly enough, both plants store water in their stems to survive infrequent rains but while the needles of the prickly cactus draw blood, the rose blooms to bring pleasure (desert rose has no thorns). I know God's delays are not necessarily denials and i also know that God is right on time but it's still hard to wear a smile when the sun's out. However, since the resilient rose does not rely on the weather, i decided neither should i. I am happy to say, i survived the dry spell!

Back to the website in question, this site advocates growing the adeniums as nature intended and guarantees 'individuality of spiritual magnitude' if grown from seed. Apparently this approach yields a healthier and disease resisting plant. Uncanny! But i burst out laughing when I came across this line, 'We respect periods of dormance and dryness'.