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| Photo by Trista Wynne |
On my heart tonight are the thickets of blackberries just behind our apartments. Out of all of the wonderful smells we encounter in Your creation, the smell of ripening blackberries is one of my favorites. Even our kitties enjoy the sweet scent! I don't fully understand why the vines must be covered in such rigid prickles, however, when I reach in to help myself to this delicious fruit.
I wish they were more like the strawberry bushes with smooth, thin strands. But perhaps then they would not be strong enough to hold such large, juicy fruit. But what purpose do the thorns serve?
My mind wanders back to our church home up north, where lots of blackberry brambles covered the grounds. Every spring, the wild rabbits would use these thickets as a hiding place in which to build their burrows and bear their young. The thorns serve as a natural deterrent to predators, protecting the little bunnies until they were strong enough to hop about on their own. So, even though the thorns serve no good purpose for me, perhaps some of your creatures offer thanksgiving and songs of praise for the gifts of the blackberry brier.
