“Room for the roses, make room for the roses,
Coming by hundreds, a conquering race;
Not with their millions of tiny thorn lances
Raised to confront us, the brave host advance,
But with their beauty they conquer all foes.
Beautiful conquerors, dew-wet and tender,
City and town are bewitched by your splendor;
Every heart opens, all gateways unclose,
Room for the reign of the conquering rose.”
~Martha Lavinia Hoffman
While were were doing ministry in Estonia, our host gave us the opportunity to have a day in which we controlled what we were doing for ministry. He encouraged us to go out and evangelize in some way. Our team had long been talking about a way that we could reach out to the people in the community. The thing about the little town of Voru that we were in was that the people weren’t so friendly. We would walk down the street and say “hello” to people in Estonian only to get glared at or dismissed. Even at youth groups, the kids were pretty quiet and seemed almost lethargic. It’s like the entire place was being lulled to sleep. So how were we to bring a little joy to this place?
We decided on flowers. Everyone loves flowers, right? We copied bible verses in Estonian onto small slips of paper and wrote on the back, “Jeesus Armastab Sind” (“Jesus Loves You” in Estonian). We attached them to some roses we bought at the local flower shop and started to think about who we wanted to give them to. I gave my portion to some of the local girls we had met in the shops and cafes. They gratefully accepted them with a smile. One lady at a second hand shop we had visited who had been so helpful was so excited to get the flower and even talked to us for a bit and we were able to invite her to the church we were staying at. She said that it’s nice to be appreciated. She said normally no one paid her any mind or thanked her for anything.
But what was more amazing was when my teammates decided to give them to random old ladies on the street. Some were so cynical, they refused to accept the flowers. But most of them were so surprised at this small act of kindness that they cried and hugged my teammates.
I couldn’t believe their reaction. It was just a flower. But these older women had been forgotten by society and weren’t used to acts of kindness. The joy in their eyes as they were brought to tears by being handed a flower is indescribable.
That’s when I realized how important it is to be kind to the people you encounter. It was something so rare for these women that they were brought to tears. You never know when someone is going to need a smile or a wave as you’re walking down the street, to let them know that you see them. You acknowledge them. You never know when someone wants to be appreciated for what they do by the customers they serve, like the woman at the secondhand shop. These little roses with Scripture attached had the power to change someone’s attitude and their whole day.
So it might seem small, but the Lord showed me that day what a small act of kindness can really do to people who might be hurting. It’s a small thing to ask of me. I hope to be a conquering rose to all the people around me by showing the love of Jesus everywhere I go.
