evidence: One thing about roses, they all do have thorns. [...] To expand on roses, Lent, and Lincoln, we need to see where he found his inspiration. While Lincoln never really declared himself a devout Christian, he did praise the tenets that were put forth from the Bible. Where did he find the inspiration for the words that he spoke about a house divided? From Jesus himself. Jesus was brought to a demon possessed young man. He prayed for the young man and cast out the demons. After that miracle, the religious sects attacked him as a demon casting out demons. Rather than seeing that this young man was relieved and healed. They saw the thorns and complained about those prickly thorny buggers to anyone that would listen. In other words, they saw the thorns rather than the roses. [...] How often do we look at a person or life even and react with judgment or skepticism like we read above? Or, do we take a moment and see that rose that brings us together in the midst of thorns? Lent is the perfect opportunity to grow closer to the character of God through an understanding and teachable spirit. Much like Lincoln, I don’t want a divided house. I bet a lot of folks don’t want that either. When we see any given situation we have the choice to see the thorns on the rose bushes or the roses in the thorn bushes. This change in thinking can bring a firmer foundation to a house that can stand.