10/09/2025
Roses After the Snakes
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
Over the past 18 month it is as if God began exposing every hidden snake in my life’s garden—those who pretended to be for me but were sent to destroy me.
It was painful, humiliating, and heartbreaking, but in that pruning, I began to see something unexpected: the beauty that grows after the venom is gone.
God started replacing the snakes with roses—true friends, divine connections, people rooted in love and truth.
And as I’ve watched these new friendships bloom, I’ve realized something: guarding my heart doesn’t mean blocking love; it means protecting peace.
For so long, I kept people at arm’s length, afraid to be hurt again.
But the freedom that comes from loving with wisdom instead of fear—it’s beyond words.
I can feel God restoring my ability to connect, trust, and bloom again.
This season isn’t about being unbreakable; it’s about being beautifully healed.
Let’s Reflect,
Who or what has God gently removed from your “garden”?
What new friendships or opportunities might be growing in their place?
How can you protect your heart without hardening it?
I challenge you,
Reach out to someone new this week—someone God has placed in your path. Let down one small wall and trust that He’s guiding the connections meant to bloom in your garden.
Let’s Pray,
Father, thank You for showing me that even after betrayal, beauty can bloom.
Remove every snake from my life and replace it with divine connections that reflect Your love.
Teach me to guard my heart with wisdom, not fear, and
to love from a healed place. Amen.