The Lazarus Rose Bush

THE LAZARUS ROSE BUSH

Several years ago my husband and I were in a frustrating business dilemma. A trusted, long time employee had advised us that she was going to leave our employ and go to work for an associate of ours in another city. That was a shock, but one that could be easily solved because we could hire someone else.She also advised us that she was going to take a major part of our business with her to her new employer, leaving us with only a third of the businesses that we had serviced for years. This was a devastating blow. We were disappointed in her as well as our long time associate, with whom we had always been on very congenial terms business-wise as well as socially. Our dilemma was two fold: number one, we would be operating temporarily with one less employee; and, number two, we would certainly miss the huge chunk of business that she was taking with her. We stewed and stewed with our emotions ranging from anger to resentment to sadness and rejection, because the employee had been like a daughter to us and had worked for us for many years. We wanted the best for her but we were emotionally wounded by her actions. My husband and I both prayed and prayed about what to do. We didn't want to contact the clients she was taking with her and defame her character by telling them the whole story. That was not a valid choice for us. An idea come to my husband, that he should meet with her to see if we could work out some kind of compromise. We knew that we did not want there to be any strife or contention lingering between any of the involved parties: her, the associate and us. We knew the spiritual truth about keeping peace with all men. We knew the spiritual truth about forgiveness. This situation was hard, like being hit from two sides at once.It came to me that if she would not agree to negotiate with my husband about taking a large chunk of our business with her, that we should tell her that we would give it to her because we did not want any ill feelings to fester and corrupt the rest of our business. My husband had checked with an attorney and he had advised that we had a legitimate lawsuit, but that we should think long about pursuing legal action. The attorney said that our clients would have to get involved, having to choose sides, and would have to testify. He advised that it could ruin our business as well as the business of our associate. Certainly we didn�ft want that.My husband went to the meeting with our employee and came back with the knowledge that there was nothing we could do, that she was now an employee of our associate and was taking some of our business with her. My husband told her that because we are Christians that we were giving that portion of the business to her so as to avoid strife and contention. The next evening we took a long walk and prayed fervently for the ability to forgive her. We decided to forgive her and the associate as an act of our will, although there was no feeling of forgiveness that came along with that choice. Before we left for our walk that evening I had noticed that one of the ten rose bushes that we had planted six weeks prior to this time was still bare of leaves and the stalk and branches were black. I had asked my husband to please dig it up several times in the past two weeks because it was dead and the deadness of it was ruining the beauty of that rose bed. On this occasion of our walk, I again asked my husband to dig up the dead rose bush tomorrow. He assured me that yes, he would dig it up and put it on the pile of dead limbs destined for the city dump. We proceeded on our walk, praying about the business situation.The next morning I rose early and took another long walk, praying the entire time for a congenial solution to this problem in our business. As I prayed I continued to speak forgiveness to everyone involved in the situation as an act of my will because I certainly didn�ft feel forgiving. Coming back from my morning walk, as I rounded the entrance to our driveway the thought came to me to look at the dead rose bush. I reluctantly did it because I really didn't want to fix my gaze upon something dead in the beautiful rose garden. I was in no mood for it. As my gaze landed upon the subject rose bush, I couldn't believe my eyes. Overnight the rose bush had sprouted several green leaves on the dead stalks. Then the Voice that I had come to rely upon and knew to be the Voice of God said in my mind, "If I can bring life to that rose bush overnight, then I can bring new life to your business. Forgive her and never say anything negative about her or the associate again." I ran into the house and told my husband about the rose bush. He ran out the door, looked at the miracle, and he was just as amazed as I was that the dead bush was not only alive but it had sprouted leaves overnight. Neither one of us could believe our eyes. We decided on the spot to name the bush Lazarus. The Lazarus rose bush has been an inspiration to many people who have heard the story. One neighbor would often come to look at it when she needed faith for good outcomes to certain situations in her family. God was right. It seems foolish to say that because God is always right. Within just a few months we had new clients to replace the clients that she had taken with her to our former associate. In just a few years we had to employ three new people to help us handle the abundance of clients that God had replaced. God's principles of forgiveness and refusing to enter into strife are always true. God's proof of His love for us and His love for everyone involved in the situation is a huge lesson. I heard one woman say that when we pray and bring God into a situation that everyone wins. How true those words are. Everyone won in what could have been a disastrous situation if we had not brought God into it through prayer. We had to have His help and guidance in using two of the most important principles that He teaches, forgiveness and refusing to enter into strife and contention. God has never failed us. He never fails to provide solutions to every situation we encounter. He is the Great Problem Solver. The blooms on the Lazarus rose bush are a constant reminder of God's power to resurrect and restore situations and circumstances for His children. He loves doing it!