top of page

Consider the Dandelion

Kathleen Keller

Updated: Jul 2, 2022

Jesus says in Matthew 6:28 the second part of the verse, to consider the lilies. Today I would like us to consider dandelions.


I’m in the minority when it comes to dandelions. I like them. Do I want a yard full of them?... NO! The first thing that gets my attention, along with everyone else, is the bright yellow flower.


The roots of this weed go very deep; it’s nearly impossible to pull them out. To say that dandelions are hardy is an understatement. One year I had a dandelion bloom in January. And we all know that’s not normal, but it put a smile on my face and knowledge in my thoughts that

even in the dead of winter, God reminds me, the season will not last forever and that He is ever present.


The dandelion is a remarkable species of vegetation. In early spring dandelions make a brilliant blanket of color against the newly greened grass. Some use the dandelion in salads and in fact all parts of the dandelion plant are edible, but use caution. And who of us didn’t pick a bunch of dandelion flowers and hand the bouquet lovingly to our moms or someone else we loved. Who of us didn’t also with great happiness blow the white seeds all across the yard, oblivious to the fact we were just making the dandelion infestation even worse?!


Consider how the dandelion is the first bloom in the spring, the last to leave in the fall. It pushes its head up through the tiniest cracks of hard, dry asphalt; it can withstand a hard frost and even an early or late snowstorm. Regardless of how we feel about the dandelion, the one thing we can agree on is that it is one tenacious weed.


I can’t think of a better quality for life and faith, than tenacity, hanging in there, even thriving through the daily grind, the tough, weather beaten, world wearying times of life, against difficult odds and efforts to do us harm. Even when life is going well, we need tenacity to keep us from

boredom, from apathy or from being less than enthusiastic and grateful for the blessings we receive.


Dandelions are no respecter of persons. They grow in the yard of the rich an in the poorest of neighborhoods. They grow in the cemetery or in the gardens of kings and queens. They flourish in the woods where no one can observe them. Jeremiah 23:23. God Himself tells us He

is everywhere.


If the grass in your front yard is two inches high the dandelion will grow three inches. If you should neglect to cut the lawn and the grass grows five inches long the dandelion will grow six inches high and smile at the sun. If you should be on vacation and the grass should grow ten

inches tall, then rest assured, my friends, that persistent, not to be outdone dandelion will grow eleven inches tall. It simply will not be downed. It rises above “its circumstances.” It will not be outdone.


One dandelion plant may multiply itself by several hundreds. If the plant is healthy it will send up anywhere between 15 to 20 blooms. Each bloom may have up to 170 seeds. So we are looking at approximately 2000 seeds per plant. Each seed is equipped with a tiny parachute to carry it on the wind. The Lord knew that no one would plant dandelions and that men would despise them, so He gave them the means of quickly recovering from the devastating knife of man by causing them to multiply quickly and profusely. The seeds ripen very quickly and a puff of wind blows them over the entire neighborhood.


The dandelion is not easily discouraged. It doesn’t wilt with sorrow because it has to bloom behind the barn. It doesn’t hide its face with shame because it cannot be on the front lawn of the courthouse.


Jesus, like the dandelion, wasn’t easily discouraged. He could have every reason to be. He was ridiculed, mocked, hated, beaten, betrayed and yet, wherever Jesus traveled, He could be found in all areas of the towns, the cities and country side; the open markets or in a garden in

the dead of night, eating, talking, walking and teaching to people that were “less desirables.” Places where you and I may be hesitant to go.


So my friends, consider the dandelion. Read the word of God so that you will be so grounded in it that you cannot be easily removed. When trials come your way rise about them turn your face to Jesus. Spread the seeds of compassion, joy and kindness. Like many of God’s gifts to us, the dandelion may not, at first, appear to be a blessing. Still, this flower, this weed, has much to teach us. Grow and spread the word where ever you are. May the dandelion invite us to keep looking for God’s wisdom and presence in unexpected, yet quite ordinary ways. Plant the seed

and let God do the rest.

Bible references: Matthew 6:28, Luke 8:11, Jeremiah 23:23, 1 Thess. 2:13


44 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


Where We Come Together

Sandy Creek SDA Church
16858 Ridge Rd. W

Holley, NY 14470

1-585-206-5032

Map
SDA Logo
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

©2024 by Sandy Creek SDA Church.

When We Come Together

Saturday Sabbath School: 10AM

Saturday Worship Service: 11AM

Wednesday Adult Bible Study: 7PM

bottom of page