The Bliss Of The Dandelion

When I was a little girl I loved making chains out of the bright yellow Dandelions that were growing in our yard. I also loved blowing on the Dandelions that had gone to seed and making a wish. Every time my dad saw me doing this, he would say, "Sis, we have enough weeds in this yard." I would just giggle and keep right on making my wish. When I looked at the dandelion I didn't see a weed, I saw a pretty flower. When I looked at the dandelion I saw a wish.

The older I get the more I love the Dandelion and it's symbolic image in my life. To me it represents the faith of a child, seeing things through the eyes of a child and having a child-like perspective. I see a resilient little flower that refuses to give up, that refuses to go extinct even though people are constantly trying to kill it and be forever rid of the Dandelion, it lives on.

My dad fought furiously against the dandelion because he saw it as a threat to his beautifully manicured lawn but I saw it as a bright and cheerful yellow flower that adorned it. Ahhh.... I guess it's all about perspective. So....since I still do have the ability to see and think like a child I will go a little farther and look at this thing from the viewpoint of the Dandelion himself......well let's see the Dandelion knows that he has beautiful brightly colored blooms, that grow incredibly quick. He considers himself to be quite useful because Dandelion stems and leaves can be eaten, bouquets can be gathered from the flowers and he knows that if you mess with him, he will just go to seed and spread on you! He considers himself a flower but he grows like a weed! He's quite resilient and not easily conquered. Would to God that we were more like the dandelion!

So...when I look at a Dandelion my mind is flooded with childhood memories of flower chains and mini-bouquets for my dolls, and blowing on the dandelion and watching the seeds take their flight and making a wish to someday be able to travel to far away places like Pippy Longstocking or to have a pet monkey or visit the queen or any of a number of wishes that were in my little girl head at the time. All of life is from perspective really...where some see a weed others see a wish, where some see a problem others see a promise.

Today....if just for a moment try to look at things from a different perspective. Ask God to give you the eyes of a child. To be able to see the good and not just the bad, to be able to love and show kindness in the midst of adversity, to see beauty where others see weeds. Jesus said to His disciples suffer (allow) the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of Heaven. He also said that if we don't become as little children we will not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. I hope and pray never to lose my ability to see things from a child's perspective.......I see a wish, what do you see?
AWord42Day
Priscilla Hinds