God Made a Rose - Max Johnson

God made a rose and let it grow.

A red, red rose with form so fair,

God made a rose and let it grow.

A red, red rose with form so fair,

To represent true love, you know

A Mother’s love and tender care.

God formed a tree with leaves so green,

And arms stretched ever to the sky;

True character in this is seen,

And strength that’s drawn from Him on high.

God gave the stars — pinpoints of light

Like Mother’s truth and virtue strong,

To pierce the blackness of the night

To pierce this dark world’s shame and wrong.

But all these gifts God made so fair,

The rose, the tree, the stars that shine,

Are only symbols of a gift most rare

A Christian Mother such as mine.

Max Johnson

Written while driving between Pocatello and Boise, Idaho 1951