More From Colin D. Harbach

Roses among the thorns!  The thought is often with me, especially at Easter.  I recall how, for Jesus throughout the agonies of the cross, there were always touches of hope—roses among the thorns.  As I reflect on the Cross on Good Friday, listening again to the horrifying story of what the military, religious leaders, and criminals could do to the Son of God, it is easy to imagine myself looking at a bush of thorns like those around the King’s head.  Yet I can see the roses of certain hope budding among those thorns—the promise of heaven for a penitent thief; Jesus’ forgiveness for all who cause his pain and add mocking insults to his wounds; his care for his grieving mother and disciples; his absolute surrender to the Father’s plans…

I thank God that so many of my life experiences have shown me how the cross and the resurrection of Jesus—suffering and eternal victory—are intertwined, just as joy and sorrow are in human life. There are always roses of hope among life’s many hurts and tears.  I have learned how God uses the thorns to bring glory to God through how we manage them.  This has been the theme of my recently published book.  It tells the story of my daughter Ruth and our close relationship.  For thirty-five of her forty-nine years Ruth suffered physically and mentally, waging a heroic battle with an extreme eating disorder. Through the successes and failures of our daughter/father relationship I gained insights into the parenthood of God, catching glimpses of a life of sparkling sunshine breaking out of terrifying shadowy places.  The story relates incidents of an undulating way along which I was privileged to discover what it means to say God is my parent—my father and my mother.  Already the story has been used to encourage others to look for the roses among the thorns.

If you wish to read the story, details of the book are on my website: www.friendshipfiles.com.