DANDELIONS ARE OKAY!

Dandelions are common flowering plants known for their bright flowers and ability to disperse seeds via wind. My yard is always covered with them, and I like their bright yellow flowers that mature into white “puffballs”. They go by different name in various countries, such as Irish Daisy, Monk’s Head, and Lion’s Tooth. While often considered weeds, dandelions are edible and can be a nutritious addition to the diet, with leaves used in salads and roots can be used for tea. I don’t eat the leaves, but I do like dandelion tea which is good for the liver, digestion, and inflammation.

Dandelions are an important food source for insects, particularly pollinators (bees).  These hardy little flowers thrive in areas like lawns, gardens, and roadsides. Pull them out, spray them with chemicals, they will pop back up and show their shiny faces in no time.

I like them because they are bright and cheerful, but I also like their fortitude. (Do plants have character? I think they do.) Consider the little flower or plant you find growing on a rock ledge or in a crack of cement. Not a lot of soil to sustain them but they manage to grow and thrive regardless. I look at it as a testament to courage and endurance.

Dandelions get cut down by the lawnmower week after week all summer long but first thing in the spring they are popping back up in my yard – ready for another season of mowing and growing.

As you consider the various trials and afflictions you face in life, may Holy Spirit strengthen you to courageously endure.

“Blessed is the man (woman) who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the frown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12

We are instructed in Mathew 6:26-33 to “consider” or “think about” the flowers and grass growing in the fields and how God sustains all of nature. He knows exactly what we need to thrive also. We are further instructed to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (everything we truly need) will be added to us.

So let the dandelions be an encouragement to you! Bloom where you are planted!