Maybe I was Wrong?
Extending her pudgy nut brown hand full of her recess-collected, canary yellow bouquet, she giggles exclaiming, “I picked these for you!” Promptly an older, more “knowledgeable” student sneers, saunters over and snears,“ Dandelions are not flowers!” She protests; insisting that they are. Hugging her, my heart is full. Not because these are what I would consider beautiful, but because the heart behind this is pure and loving. She saw something she deemed beautiful and wanted to share it.
Sauntering away, my squirrelish mind zips around, latching onto some simple and yet troubling questions. How can something seen as beautiful by a six-year old, suddenly be seen as ugly and useless by an eight year old? What happens in that time frame to alter a child’s opinion that then gets carried into adulthood? Why do we, as humans, value daffodils more than dandelions? Is this just an American thing? We pay to purchase daffodils. Yet, in all my 56 years, I’ve NEVER paid for a bouquet of dandelions. In the Northwest, we celebrate daffodil season. I don’t know any place on this planet that has a dandelion celebration. where they celebrate the qualities and beauty of this amazing plant.
Finding myself googling “Dandelions” and then “Daffodils, I was astonished to see the how many ways dandelions are a better plant than daffodils. Daffodils can live and bloom one time a year for decades without actively reproducing. Dandelions bloom and produce 54 to 172 seeds each time and can produce up to 2,000 seeds before dying. Daffodil roots are shallow and they are easily uprooted. Dandelion roots are deep and almost impossible to pull up. (Us gardeners know this well.) Daffodils are somewhat delicate and easily destroyed by weather. Dandelions are hearty and pretty much not affected by sun, wind, or rain. Dandelions have all kinds of medicinal uses (see below). Daffodils have unproven and sometimes really risky medical uses. Why have I not known all these facts about dandelions before? Could it be that I have allowed others to influence my opinion and value of dandelions? Or, maybe it is because I have judged a flower by only it’s appearance?
For days I have kept my precious wilted bouquet. I love these precious flowers. There is something about them that speaks deeply to my heart. They are sturdy. They are deeply rooted. They produce prolific seeds. They are not affected by the weather.
God told Samuel, not to look at outward appearances or at the things others look at to determine value in others, but to look deeper - at a person’s heart. Maybe we need to not just apply this to people but other things too. Maybe it’s time to seek to be more like Samuel and value the dandelions around us?
Until We Chat Again,
Crystal
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
*Dandelion is used for loss of appetite, upset stomach, intestinal gas, gallstones, joint pain, muscle aches, eczema, and bruises. Dandelion is also used to increase urine production and as a laxative to increase bowel movements. It is also used as skin toner, blood tonic, and digestive tonic.
