Julie Lavender

Consider the Dandelion
By Julie Lavender

On my walk with God with morning, dandelion puffballs dotted my path. Remember blowing the seeds and making a wish? 

Such fun, childhood memories, and then new ones shared with my own kids when they were little.

(In fact, my college daughter has yet to outgrow picking a dandelion and blowing the seeds into the air!)

Dandelions over the years have gotten a bad rap and suffered some name-calling, like “those nasty weeds.” Yet, apparently, many garden enthusiasts don’t consider them weeds at all.

One garden expert pointed out that the bright yellow flower is often the only spec of color in an otherwise drab yard post-winter. Lots and lots of critters enjoy the benefits of dandelions. Pollinators like bees and butterflies sip on dandelions in early spring for a fresh source of pollen and nectar when not many other flowers are blooming.

Dandelions, with their long, strong taproots push through the compacted ground to aerate the soil and open up channels for water flow. Those same deep roots draw calcium, iron, and potassium from the earth, and when the dandelions die and decompose, they leave behind mineral-rich, organic matter for other plant life to enjoy.

Believe it or not, dandelions are edible and have medicinal value! Old-timey recipes and home remedies made use of the dandelion herb, back-in-the-day!

Yes, perhaps modern-day lawn enthusiasts who desire pristine and manicured yards deemed the plant a “weed” and decided it was a nuisance. Hence, the dandelion and its purpose seemed to gradually become distorted and misunderstood.  

Without calling names of the name-callers, I’ll just say that I love dandelions’ beauty and fun.

Perhaps this misunderstanding about the cute little yellow flower, and later, puffball, can remind us of David’s dilemmas in Psalm 56. His enemies turned his words around such that his cause and purpose were distorted. His enemies sought to trample him.  

But David never doubted God. He said, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” David knew the purpose God created in him, and he held fast to that purpose. He clung to God. And dandelions just keep on doing their job, too, despite what others say about them!

What about you? What have you enjoyed in nature this week?