Two years ago, when I pruned a twenty-year-old Queen Elizabeth rose in March, I didn’t notice little sucker canes growing on the bush. I was busy with traveling and speaking, so it wasn’t until June I realized I had several long rose canes growing on the back of my rose bush. At first, I felt confused. Why were the back stems so different from the front ones?
My neighbor knew exactly what was going on. “Yep,” he said as he looked closely at the base of the bush, pushing away mulch and dirt. “Look here. You allowed those suckers to grow. You best remove them as soon as possible or they’ll weaken your rose. They could even kill it because they’ll rob your rose of needed nutrients.”
I did remove the canes. Now each year, I pay close attention to make sure there are no suckers developing.
Here’s what I learned about rose suckers that can apply to our emotional and spiritual lives. I’ve also added a few questions to help you pay closer attention to the condition of your heart:
Suckers grow from the root ball beneath the surface.
My Queen Elizabeth tea rose had been grafted onto rootstock of a hardier rose. The hardier rose, through the sucker growth, was trying to gain control of the bush.
In the same way, our selfish natures can viciously try to gain the upper hand. This can happen in hundreds of different ways through our thoughts, attitudes and behaviors. For instance, how easily we convince ourselves we have a right to hold onto anger, hurt, or an unkind thought.
Question: What’s going on under the surface in your heart and mind that, if ignored, will gain control?
Sucker growth steals vital nutrients.
As my neighbor warned, unless I quickly and completely removed the unwanted canes, they would eventually destroy my Queen Elizabeth rose.
As Romans 6:23 warns, “The wages of sin is death.” We might think the word “death” is exaggerated. But given enough time, our desires, for example, to please people, rather than God, will weaken us and eventually suck the life out of us.
Question: What selfish desires are you ignoring or allowing to grow which are ultimately fatal to your relationships, especially with God?
Sucker canes grow rapidly.
What amazed me was how fast the unwanted canes grew compared to the regular shoots on the rose bush. It seemed as if overnight the suckers went from nothing to canes several feet long.
Because I was so busy scurrying from one event and task to another, I failed to notice the developing problem. While busyness and a hurried pace is socially acceptable, the long-term consequences of a harried lifestyle can be disastrous.
John Ortberg once asked Dallas Willard what was the one thing Willard could recommend that would bring new energy to Ortberg’s spiritual life. Dallas Willard looked him in the eye and said, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life, for hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our world today.”
For me, Willard’s advice rang true. I had to intentionally slow down and remove hurry from my life.
Question: What needs to go in your life? What habits, attitudes or thoughts are quickly dominating your life and preventing you from being the beautiful person God desires you to be?
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve once again finished pruning my roses. As I worked, I carefully examined not only my roses for any unwanted growth, but my heart as well. What have I ignored or allowed because of the busy pace of my life? What was weakening my ability to flourish? What did I need to cut away so I could become stronger for Christ?
