Matthew 13:26,28-29 – When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “An enemy did this,” he replied. The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?” “No,” he answered, “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.” (NIV)

How well I remember being taught how and when to pull out the dandelions. But oh, how I loved the fluffy, soft, yet sometimes prickly little yellow “flowers”. Many are the moms who have received countless beautiful bright bouquets proudly presented from the grip of a tight little fist.

How we used to love sitting in a field or on the grass, seeded white fluffy dandelion in hand, taking a big breath and letting it out as we blew it away bit by bit, to find the answer to the question, “He loves me; he loves me not.”

There was a time too, when my friend’s folks came over from Greece, and during the course of a visit to us one afternoon, sauntered off into the field, paring knife and stainless steel bowl in hand, to carefully gather dandelion leaves to be brought home, washed, and made into a delicious salad.

Once tasted, who could forget the pungent tangy taste of dandelion wine; or what of the many uses in herbal medicine — as a blood purifier, laxative, diuretic, or general tonic, to name a few?

Yet to most, it is considered a weed. Often, dandelions lie amongst the flowers, so to pull them up or squirt them with a pesticide, we may also pull up those things which we consider to be more important, or of more value.

Life is like a dandelion. There are members of society or life situations that some consider useless; yet others receive them as having been given for a purpose, to learn from, to teach. To remove them or to take them away would cause those lessons to go unlearned; opportunities to help or make changes wouldn’t exist.

Just as God gave us the dandelions, He also gives us each person, each situation, and with them, an ability to accept or reject them.

Prayer: Lord, when we are faced with what we may consider “weeds” in our life, help us to look to You for ways in which we can best face them. In Your name we pray. Amen.

Mary Daniel md61@telus.net
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada