“Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s laws wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny it seems that by keeping its dreams; it learned to breathe fresh air.  Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else even cared.  You see you wouldn’t ask why the rose that grew from the concrete had damaged petals.  On the contrary we would all celebrate its tenacity. We would all love its will to reach the sun. Well, we are the rose – this is the concrete – and these are my damaged petals” ~ Tupac Shakur 

All of us have bruised and damaged petals and we are all striving to keep our heads up of the pavement.

Many years ago, a very close friend of mine, was walking along the beach and she came across this little plant, growing in the beach sand. She took a photo and sent it to me saying “I saw this little plant and thought it was so brave. It reminded me so much of you. Growing and flourishing despite where it has been planted”.

It doesn’t matter what the circumstances of your life are, you have the power, along with God to change those circumstances.

When I look at that image I marvel at the sheer determination and tenacity of this little plant.  It has managed to grow and flourish despite the most severe odds stacked against it.

Despite the fact that it has no background, no fertile soil, no knowledge of its parental seed, no grounding, no good role models it has still succeeded into growing into a little plant.

It has embraced what little it has – oxygen, sunshine and rainwater supplied by God – and has grown and flourished.

It has concentrated on growing every day, instead of filling its days with regret and anger and bitterness as to where it has been placed. It doesn’t ask ‘why me, why could I not have been planted in beautiful fertile soil instead of just being dropped haphazardly onto the beach and left there alone?

We are all capable of being like this little plant. Capable of thanking God every day for what we do have and making the most of what we have been given.

Capable of growing into the people God created us to be and able to stir up admiration and love in those who pass us by. Always remember:

“We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10