By Danny Minton

There’s a little-known song, sung by Vicki Carr over 60 years ago, entitled “The Rose and the Butterfly.” Some of the lyrics are

A Rose once asked a butterfly,
Oh, why must I wear a thorn?
The butterfly flew toward the sky,
And the rose was alone and forlorn.
Then a bluebird came along,
And chirped its happy song.
And morning brought,
It’s golden dream.
The butterfly returned and said,
“I hope you’ve learned,”
“Nothing’s really as bad as it seems.
The rose embraced the butterfly.
The daisies danced on the hill.
The weeping willow wept no more,
And the heart of a rose never will.

Life does not always go the way we want. There are often many thorns in our lives that cause pain. Being with those in the hospital, I see the pain that is in the hearts and eyes of family, patients, and staff. Many times, being in the hospital can bring anxious times, times when we are filled with concerns about what is wrong with us or a loved one. We listen to medical staff use terms we don’t fully understand and sometimes find ourselves in situations where we struggle to understand what the future holds. As a result, we begin to worry and spend so much time on the negatives that we fail to see the positives around us. We fail to recognize the doctors and nurses who work hard and quickly to care for our loved ones or us. Being in a hospital, we may feel the thorns of the pain we are going through, physically and emotionally, and we may overlook the good being done. 

There are also times when the medical staff feel the thorns that come with their daily job. They hurt for those they are caring for, but know they must continue their job of giving the best possible care. There are times when they, too, must step back and cry. There are thorns that they carry home, the hurt of worrying about those whom they may have only met once, butfeel a deep concern for their well-being.

Sometimes we wonder why we have to have thorns of pain in our lives. We become absorbed in ourselves and fail to open our eyes to all the good happening around us. The lyrics of the little song teach us to stop wallowing in self-concerns that bring depression and sadness, and to see that there is more to be thankful for than to regret.

There’s a short one-line parable that shows how to look at life. It goes: “It complained because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.” Life will be full of thorns that are hard to bear. We’ll have times wondering why. We’ll question God. We’ll have regrets and face hard truths. But the one thing through all the pain we suffer is to remember that God is always there in the midst of all our troubles, holding us up. 

When most read this, it will be after the Easter holidays. The passion of Jesus was meant to be remembered each time Christians gather, not just once a year. It’s not just an Easter story; it’s a story about the future of those who believe. Give thought each week as you sit in worship about the thorns that were placed on the head of the One who loved us enough to suffer. Think back to that night he went through and the pain of the thorns, not only physical, but the pain of carrying the sins of the world so that we would not have to bear them.

There is a song that reminds us of that week, but its thought is one that should be remembered not just during the Easter holidays. Its words are a constant reminder that something greater lies ahead to ease the pains of the thorns that come our way. It’s not an Easter song; it’s a song about hope. It’s a song about a promise. It’s a song that can lift us out of darkness, reminding us that there is light at the end of all our pains. It’s by Phil Wickham, entitled “Sunday is Coming.”

Friday’s good ‘cause Sunday is coming
Don’t lose hope ‘cause Sunday is coming
Devil, you’re done, you better start running
Friday’s good ‘cause Sunday is coming.

No matter what pain we have, because of Christ we are never alone. Next time you find your life filled with thorns of pain, be reminded that when your life is in darkness, just as the darkness on a Friday over 2,000 years ago, our darkness will be light because “Sunday is coming.”

Danny Minton, a member of Southern Hills Church of Christ, is a hospital chaplain