Why Roses & Rhinos?

The Rhinos
A pastor once explained how powerful a group of rhinos - called a crash - could be and equated the Body of Christ with rhinos. We absolutely can be incredibly near-sighted and destructive on our own. Yet, together - when we are obedient to God, because of Christ, and allowing His Spirit to move in and through us - we are a force to be reckoned with. We are unstoppable. 

Unstoppable? To say that "unstoppable" resonated deeply with me is an understatement. I wanted to stand up and cheer. 

You see, I'm a sprinter by nature. An all-or-nothing sprinter. I'll give a task all I've got. Expend myself, confident determination was enough to get me to the goal. 

Determination failed me too many times to count. It only carried me a few steps. Until I couldn't. Go. One. Step. More. Utter emptiness dumbfounded me and I would feel as if I'd failed. 

Unstoppable? How could I possibly be part of the Unstoppable? 

The Body of Christ is unstoppable when she follows the Head and when the Body parts work together. The eyes, ears, fingers, heart, toes... they are all needed. I have a role in The Body of Christ. 

It is Jesus the Messiah who makes the church unstoppable. My part is to do the good work that God instructs me to do. (To which I again stand up internally & cheer!)

The Roses
Similarly, all of us humans can be quick to hurt others with our "thorns." Maybe life has been a long string of disappointments. We've been wounded. Alone in a sea of faces. 

Then Jesus appears. He heals. He prunes. He trains us to grow beautiful.  

By ourselves, we have thorns. We are weak messes. 
Jesus makes us One. Beautiful. Unstoppable. 
Our beauty, strength, and hope lie in Jesus.