A Wish or A Weed?

When I was a young girl I loved to pick dandelions, make a wish, and blow the white floaters into the air.

Did you know a dandelion grows roots as deep as fifteen feet, not fifteen inches but fifteen feet into the soil?

For such a small delicate plant that is a deep root! A yellow flower appears on a stem that can rise up to eighteen inches from ground level. The flower is bright and fluffy but quite small. It transforms to seed head in just a few days, resembling a fuzzy ball. Each seed has an umbrella like extension, which stands upright and available to the wind for successful widespread distribution. Many think of the dandelion as a weed, but below the surface within that fifteen-foot root are many benefits. The root creates air and moisture pockets underground reducing soil compaction, all the while increasing nutrients in the shallow topsoil by moving important elements like calcium from the deeper regions of the earth. Dandelions and their seedlings create a fertile environment for other plant growth.

The dandelion may look small and fragile. Hidden is it’s strength, benefits and ability for far-reaching reproduction. As a Christian we are to grow roots deep in our faith through the study of God’s Word, prayer, and fellowship. Like the dandelion, our deep roots create fertile ground for growing disciples. We bloom while we learn to love God and love others in the way Christ taught and the Spirit enables. As we mature in our faith, we spread the good news far and wide through our words and actions. We should never discount the importance we have in building God’s kingdom. We never know how far our seeds of hope and love are carried in the breeze of the Holy Spirit.

Dandelions are abundant this time of year. Just as when I was a small child, I see wishes not weeds. The only difference…my wishes have turned into prayers—prayers that we realize while we may feel insufficient and fragile, God supplies the strength to share the hope and love he gave us through Jesus Christ.