Listen to this devotional:
Listen while you read: "O Jesus I Have Promised"1 (Lyrics)

Song of Solomon 2:1 – I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. (KJV)

"Pugh!" my husband Marcelo blurted out. I smelled it, too. It permeated our entire living room, and the bad news was that the smell got even stronger when we walked near the chair that I always sit in.

I assured Marcelo that the smell was not coming from me. But there was no getting around it — we needed to pinpoint the problem, and quickly!

After careful investigation, we finally zeroed in on the culprit. It turned out to be the stress ball that our great-grandkids had sent to us.

They love doing experiments with their mom, and they had taken a balloon, filled it with cornstarch and water, and made a stress ball.

It worked well, but we learned that the mixture, called Oobleck, can become mouldy after a couple of weeks and give off a very bad smell. (Yeah, tell us about it!)

We had placed the ball on the end table near my chair. Once we had discovered where the smell was coming from and threw the ball away, the odour miraculously disappeared.

I then lit a rose-scented candle, and as the fragrance filled the room, it reminded me of a poem I once wrote.

           The Rose

    I smelled the sweetest fragrance
    Coming from the flower bed
    But all I saw were weeds and thorns
    Faded flowers limp and dead

    The roots of bitterness had grown
    To such a tremendous size
    All around were weeds of hypocrisy
    Ungratefulness and pride

    But still I smelled the fragrance
    Like perfume in the air
    Deep inside that garden
    I knew a flower must be there

    I asked the Lord to show me
    As I got down on my knees
    Immediately we went to work
    Removing weeds, thorns, and debris

    There stood in the garden
    No longer hidden from one's view
    A beautiful, precious, lovely rose
    All covered with beads of dew

    Jesus the Rose of Sharon
    Whispers so serene
    If others are to see Me
    Then your garden must be clean

It is so important that as Christians, we guard against undesirable things that are detrimental to our testimony and effectiveness for Christ.

Prayer: Lord, may it be our desire to rid our lives of anything and everything that hinders Your presence and Your beautiful fragrance in our lives, our precious Rose of Sharon. Amen.

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About the author:

Cheryl Mariano (Cheremiah) <cherylmariano@gmail.com>
Casa Grande, Arizona, USA

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1 Comment

  • PresbyCan Feedback says:

    Love this poem!


    May it be so, Cheremiah. Beautiful poem.


    Excellent, excellent devotional! Thank you.


    Thanks, Dee, for sharing this devotional with us. Blessings.


    Thank you for another beautiful and inspirational devotion.


    Thank you, Cheryl, not only for a good illustration but for the message it contained.


    Such a beautiful and thought-provoking poem, Cheremiah. Thank you and God bless!


    Thank you, Cheryl.
    Your poem is beautiful and such an inspiration!


    Cheryl, An amazing and encouraging devotional. Thanks for sharing to another gardener. Blessings.


    Thank you, Cheryl, for the lovely, sweet devotional.
    May God guide, bless, and inspire you as you continue to write.


    You have a wonderful gift of expression, Cheryl, both prose and “plain” written language.
    Thank you for today’s devotional.


    Oh YES, Cheryl! I have always loved Christ being called by this name too. Thank you for this beautiful reminder of our faith today.


    Another lovely read Cheryl. I especially enjoyed your poem! Thanks for sharing, and blessings on all your days.
    (Ontario, Canada)


    Hello Cheryl,
    That is very beautiful!
    God bless,
    (Ontario, Canada)


    Thanks for your message this morning. My Dad always said that sins were like weeds and you had to get them while they were small. So true.
    (Ontario, Canada)


    What a great devotion, if I have grandkids or greats I’ll remember your story! But the best is your poem. I am going to copy it and keep it to read at a glance. Thank you for sharing this.


    Greetings Cheremiah,
    Thank you for sharing another of your devotionals and such a beautiful poem.
    Blessings for the writings you do honouring our Lord in such a special way.
    (B.C.)


    Dear Cheremiah,
    Thank you for your humorous opening that led to your exquisite poem, “The Rose.” I am touched beyond words. My heart is sensitive to God’s word. I appreciate your writing because it always makes me think deeply and ask the Holy Spirit for a deeper meaning.
    (USA)


    Hi My friend
    This was beautiful. Never heard of a stress ball before. Good thing.
    This is so true, and we cannot get away with just cleaning the garden once, it is something we have to be on guard… all the time.
    Thinking of you sending prayers.
    God bless.


    Hi
    Thank you for your inspiring, well written devotional “The Rose of Sharon”. That little comment about not letting our testimony be marred by our behaviour immediately challenged me. It seemed written just for me.
    After reading the devotional I took the pack of smokes I had, broke them and garbage them. I will rely on my Lord to keep me strong in this.
    Again, thank you and God bless you.


    I have a very special friend who lives afar. We pick a passage to study together or the devotional. I am so glad your devotional came to us this morning. We both came from “tricky” backgrounds and have had “Interesting” lives since then. Letting go of bitterness and learning to trust others are weeds in my garden. Thank you for your words and I am going to work harder to keep my garden clean.
    May God bless you,
    (Ontario)


    Thank you for sharing this devotional and poem with us. Blessings.


    Hi Cheremiah,
    Enjoyed your devotional. I just love your poems.
    Thank you for writing, keep up the good work.


    Amen Cheremiah! Ain’t it the truth. We had a dead mouse under a bookcase one time. Oh, my what a stench until l finally discovered it by crawling around on the floor with my nose to the ground!!


    Dear Cheryl,
    Such a beautiful, teaching devotional! It keeps zooming upwards to the end.
    Amen to your prayer.
    Thank you.
    Keep writing.


    Dear Cheremiah,
    My Husband and I listened with delight to your Devotion. Your homemade stress ball story was hilarious! Your Poem very touching and beautiful.
    Your Prayer, a big Amen!
    Thank you for writing and sharing!

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