My White Rose

A heart was meant to give

Unconditionally, without fear

But the world sets in

And the soul makes trades

The Spirit stands by

Saddened as winter trees

Powerless to stop the regression

Knowing the season must pass

Hardness sets in

Warmth to cold

Self-protection as the means and the ends

But the wind blows through all

In the valley and desert

The oil still flows with power

The voice recedes but remains

Still but small

Though the valleys are deep

And the deserts dry

The footprints remain

Tracked across our souls

Carving the canyons

Baring our deepest apprehensions

Exposing our basest trepidations

A thorn in our flesh

Sufficient grace for all

Salvation in a handful of providence

He has brought me back

He has stirred my soul

Gave me joy for mourning

Beauty for ashes

And He brought me a white rose

He has brought me back

He has restored my soul

Gave me springtime bloom for winter vistas

Dancing for the aimless meandering of a bruised soul

And a white rose, He has brought to me

He has brought me back

From grave clothes and faithless ways

He has borne my pain and guilt

Righteousness for shame

Peace for strife

Which surpasses all understanding

Higher than the stars that guides my night

Brighter than the sun that guides my day

The firmament only He could have created

Cries out to my pride and cuts me to my knees

And as if that was not enough my child

He gave me a white rose

To remind me of His beauty

To remind me of His goodness

To restore my faith in the love He created

My white rose

To remind me of what is still possible

To remind me what I left behind

To restore my love for the faith I have in Him

My white rose

To smile with soft lips

The speak the truth in encouraging tones

To remind me of the song He put in me

To bring back the symphony He etched in my soul

To put me back on the potter's wheel

My white rose

And I thank Him

For seeing me through the valley of thorns

For being the footprints in the desert

For being the shelter in the storm

The respite in the tempest

For reminding me of the song He made me to sing

For bringing me to my knees...

So that I might rise above

For patience and protection

And prosperity in Him

For the winter trees to appreciate the summer breeze

For the cascade of stars at night to appreciate the sun by day

For the explosion of light

The renewing of my mind

And for writing the white rose upon my heart