To Be Dandelions

Reprinted from my blog, Sunny Side Up.

I read an interesting article here. The season is waning for flowers -- unfortunately, because I like flowers -- but that does not mean the beauty in nature just stops. I've re-printed some of the piece below:

Despite their bad reputation, dandelions are pretty little flowers with their yellow strands all tucked neatly into the center. And truly they are the most beautiful of all flowers when presented clutched in a child’s dirty little hand. No one gets yelled at for picking them. Perhaps they grow only to be used and enjoyed by children.

Dandelions are ignored or attacked, never nurtured or cared for, and yet they always bloom profusely....Christians should be more like dandelions. Our sunny yellow faces should be a reminder that simple faith has deep roots that are impossible to dislodge. Our vast number would show the world that even though we are not fancy or pampered we are evident everywhere, even in the best neighborhoods.

We should be as easily accessible as a dandelion. Jesus is. We need to get out of our gardens and jump across the boundaries that keep us where people expect to find us. We need to show our sunny yellow faces in all the spots that need a little brightening up – the crack in the sidewalk or the lawn of a country club.

When I was little, I remember I loved watching the dandelions pop up. The most fun was blowing the seeds off the dandelions when they turned white. I also remember my parents telling me not to blow into the yard...because then more dandelions would inevitably pop up in the grass.

As Christians, we are attacked -- by the media and even by our friends sometimes. I don't always want to speak out about my faith because I am afraid of how I'll be received. Maybe a better solution, rather than speaking up all the time, would be to gently make our Christian faith known by our presence, and through our every day surroundings and interactions. My mama has told me that kind and quiet actions will convert more souls than loud preaching.

We should be like dandelions. They are sunny and bright, they make a child's day, they surprise all who never know where they'll appear or when, and they quietly spread to the most unexpected places. Dandelions are another flower in God's endless and beautiful bouquet. With all the chaos of our lives, sometimes these quiet gestures are the best we can do. But we should never think them insignificant.

Do you like dandelions?