The parable of the Rose

It is not recorded in scripture, Christ never uttered it as such, but it is evidenced in every work He spoke, in every deed He performed.

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom and also the thorns. He thought, how can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns? Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose before it was able to bloom, and it died.

So it is with many people, Within every soul there is a rose, the God-like qualitites planted in us at birth, growing amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects. We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us and eventually we die, never realizing our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the Savior's greatest characteristics was that He was able to show people the kingdom of heaven within them. He was able to reach past their thorns and show them the rose.

This is the characteristic of love, to look at a person and knowing his/her fauls, recognize the nobility in their soul and help them realize that they can overcome their faults. If we show them the rose, they will conquer the thorns and then they will blossom, bringing forth thirty, sixty and a hundred fold-as it is given to them.

Our duty in this world is to help our brothers and sisters by showing them their roses and not their thorns. Only then can we achieve the love the Savior wants us to feel for each other; only then can we become perfect as He wants us to be and blossom in the garden of his Father.