Cultivating Roses

A Christian testimonial & e-book,

with illustrations

by Angela P. Eichstaedt
 CULTIVATING ROSES - MY TESTIMONY

What would you think if someone gave you this?

(See illustration 1 below )

Would you want it? What would you tell them if they said, “Here,

I’d like you to have this?” Would you say, “No thank you,” or

laugh at the thought and give them a strange look?  If you asked
~1~
me, until recently I'd have said that it was just a plain piece of an

old, dried-up plant, that needed to be thrown out.  However,

now I would love for someone to give this to me, because I realize

that this is something that can grow and become beautiful.  Can

you tell what this even is?

This was me about 12 years ago.  I had roots that came from my

parents and I grew and began to branch out at age 17.  One

branch could be labeled “School” and the other “Work.” 

When I was 18, I began to grow another branch which could be

labeled “Married.”  I let the ”School” branch become dormant

and quickly became busy being a wife and working. 

~2~
A year later, I grew another branch which took 9 months and I

now could label this branch “Mommy.”  I had a bouncing baby

boy.  Soon after my baby was born and I had gone back to

work, my “Work” branch was broken; I was laid off, so the

branch of school began to grow again, and I graduated with my

Associates degree.  Little did I know, a year later I would have

the branch of marriage ripped off and broken down to a nub.  

*(See illustration 2, broken off branch.) 

~3~
I now had to label that remaining piece of branch as “Divorced.” 

Being broken is extremely painful, especially when you keep

having branches break off.  I wanted to die, it was so painful a

break; unlike the job branch, which was not as thick or as close

to my heart.  I realized, though, I had a reason to live. I had other

branches, the most important being the Mommy branch,

because my toddler needed me to survive. 

The soil I was in was rocky, dried up and choking the life out of

me (see illustration 3 with rocky soil, on the following page). I knew I needed

something, but didn’t know what. 

~4~
 

My Aunt Alice and my friend Amy suggested that I go to church

with my mom.  I finally agreed to go.  I met the pastor and his

wife.  His wife told me after I’d come there a few times that I was

an answer to 2 years of prayer, that she and others at the

church had prayed that I would start coming regularly with my

mom to church.  I had been going off and on to other churches,

 ~ 5 ~
but didn’t really get much from it.  Really, I was just going

because I wanted to be a good person and it was the right thing

to do, but not really understanding much about what those

church people were saying.  They were nice people and I felt

safe around them, so I would go.  This time church seemed

different to me, because the pastor’s wife, Brenda, showed me

care and concern.  Knowing that they had prayed for me, for 2

years, really touched my heart. I felt loved and cared for there. 

Like the saying goes “people don’t care how much you know 'til

they see how much you care” ... how true this was because even

if they were sharing with me about what they knew, I wasn’t

understanding; it was like they were speaking a foreign

language. 

~6~
Brenda, the pastor’s wife, took time to teach me and soon I

realized this was what I needed, to be transferred into the good

soil  she was so patiently teaching me about.  She explained that

I had to be cut back by the Master Gardener in order to

experience new vibrant life, because nothing could grow from

the old branches - there was no life in them.  I’d been in the hard

rocky soil for so long my heart was withering. The only way I

could be renewed was to be cut back and transferred into new,

good soil.  I had to be willing to be asked to be cut off and

transplanted, which was asking forgiveness of my sins and

accepting God’s Son, Jesus Christ, as my Savior.  (See Illustration 4 on

the following page: the transferring of the plant into good soil.)

~7~
After being transplanted into the new good soil, God’s soil, I am

now growing vibrantly.  New life began to grow from my heart; my

roots then became deep and strong in the new, good soil.  I now

have strong branches that are growing, with roots that run

strong and deep in God.  Without Jesus being in my heart,

deeply rooted, I could never have been strong enough to survive

the past with all its hardships and cares of this world.  

 ~ 8 ~
I now have a new strong branch of marriage, growing now for 9

years, and continuing to grow.  I am proud to say I am married to

a wonderful man who I have learned so much from, Brett. I have

two new branches, a daughter and a son.  My oldest son

currently lives with his father; it was so hard to let him go and live

with his dad. I am so proud though when I am with him, to see

how he has grown into a gentleman. 

I am beginning to bud forth my flowers.  Do you know what kind

of flower I am?  Would you want to receive what this produces -

can you see the beauty that this plant can bring? 

~9~
Looking at this,

it doesn’t look like it could produce anything of beauty, but

what looks like it couldn’t amount to anything much - the care of

the Master Gardener cultivating  the plant makes all the

difference.  

~ 10 ~
 As you can see ...
(illustration 5 - the revelation of the plant)

I am a growing rose.  
~ 11 ~
 I am one of God’s R.O.S.E.S. and God’s R.O.S.E.S.

are  R.adiant O.bedient S.ubmissive E.ncouraging

S.isters. If you would like to know more about being

one of God’s R.O.S.E.S. please email me at

cultivating_roses@yahoo.com

This e-book is protected by copyright law, (c) Angela P. Eichstaedt, 2009.

The drawn illustrations of the rosebush in each stage (Illustrations 1 through 5) are my own artwork. Rose clip art seen on the

cover & this page is courtesy of http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/flowers.shtml & is available for free usage. (My thanks to

them... please visit their site for gorgeous free clip art! )