We Were Never Promised a Rose Garden

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I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.⁠1

While trouble in this life is inescapable, we can escape the crucible of excessive worry and anxiety. This is why Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Notice that Jesus said we could have peace in the midst of our troubles. God never promised us a life that was a “rose garden.” While I don’t endorse the entire worldview reflected in Lynn Anderson’s song, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (listen here) there is an element of truth in her lyrics: “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine, there’s gotta be a little rain sometime.”

While we must not minimize the troubles that we and others face, for most of us, most of the time, there is far more sunshine than rain in our lives. Unfortunately, our tendency is to focus on our troubles more than our blessings. We are also prone to focusing on what might happen and on things over which we have no control. This is why Jesus told us, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34).

As we enter the wonderful Thanksgiving season, I encourage us to focus on our many, many blessings. Here are a few that come immediately to mind:

  • God loves us and gives us peace with God and eternal life through the death and resurrection of Christ.

  • Jesus has overcome this sinful, broken world. We have a great future (Revelation 21).

  • God created us, and He sustains and provides for us. We have food and shelter.

  • We have families and friends who love us and whom we love.

  • We live in an imperfect but free and prosperous country.

  • We are surrounded by the beauty and magnificence of God’s creation.

  • We have what few in this world have: the opportunity to serve in and to have our children in a school filled with Christian teachers, coaches, and staff who genuinely care for our children and grandchildren and who, day in and day out, teach them biblical truth.

While we have not been promised a rose garden, we are blessed beyond measure!

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1 This quote has been attributed to Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, and others.