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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Flowers (10/03/05)
A half-withered, distressed-looking cactus plant used to lay in corner of my dad's large garden shed, and one day a next door neighbour payed him a friendly visit asking him, "What it was doing there."
"It is no good", was my father's reply. "It's never ever flowered!"

The neighbour thought it might not have had a chance to do so, so he asked my dad another question, "Did you ever give it some warm water?"
After some gentle but quite firm persuasion my dad was eventually persuaded to let the plant stand in the corner of the kitchen of our house, and to water it with slightly warm water everyday, whereupon by a miracle the cactus revived itself and put out a wealth of beautiful flowers.

All the cactus needed according to our next-door-neighbour was more kindly, loving attention, treatment, and patience to mature. And isn't this just so with a good number of human beings or new Christian believers? Wasn't that one of the great unexplainable yet undeniable mysteries of Jesus Christ of Nazareth?
He touched people's hearts with the 'key-flower' of loving kindness, and men and women who had seemed hard and bad, became better and gentler as He spoke to them with love and compassion - and many outcasts and despised, rejected persons were made apostles and saints of God.

There is a name you and I know very, very well, that of Saul, the once so-called "bad boy" of Tarsus. You know the "murdering one" that some people said could never change until he went on a pinic to Damascus and met with a loving, kind, gentle and patient teacher.

My LORD, what a store of abundant treasure was opened when You the No 1 Flower-of-all-flowers of love, mercy and grace touched his heart and soul!!!
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Jan Ackerson
10/11/05
This is a very apt object lesson, the sort of thing I've read in publications like "OUr Daily Bread." Very nice! You don't need the quotation marks at the end of the first sentence, and you might consider re-writing the references to "you" in the next-to-past paragraph. But this is a nice, tight story, well-told.
Andrea Heath
10/12/05
I think it's very encourage and a very story that makes up think and feel...Thank you for sharing that with us and also I agree that maybe you need to re-write it because there are some fixing that is needed but other than that its awesome!! Good job:)...
Andrea Heath
10/12/05
I meant it was a very good story sorry for my typing lol...
Alexandra Wilkin
10/13/05
Lovely little devotional. God bless.
Nina Phillips
03/08/06
Just wanted to comment a big amen to the good neighbors thoughts and guidence. Sometimes a gently nudge from a sister or brother, can get us working in the right direction too. This has a few good messages but the good news is Jesus Christ is Lord! Nice daily bread story. God bless ya, littlelight