Date of Birth March 31, 2008

Little Dandelion, what a brief life you have. You are open early to watch the sun rise and spend part of your day looking upward. You willow about on your delicate stem blowing where the wind sends your little face. How did you get here, where did you come from, who sent you to cheer me so?

Once in a while your seeds blow into the crack of the dry desolate concrete. And if just the right amount of dirt happens to be in place you find a home for that short life of yours. Today is the day for one such life to take root. A miracle. Arriving at work today you were there to greet all those who would observe your beauty in the crack of the hot desolate concrete. Bright and cheery yellow, you beckon me to look at you. Too busy to notice, too much on my mind, I don’t ever see flowers anywhere, I am not in a good mood today, I, I, I. Is this God’s way of saying HELLO????????? Here I am. I want to talk to you. Do you see my world exploding around you with wonder and beauty! I have provided this miracle for you just for today. Will you look and wonder how it happened or will you step on this little wild flower and never look back.

We’re all here only for a short moment in time, just like the dandelion. Most of us will thankfully have more than one day. We can choose to be planted in shallow dirt or deep rich soil. The shallow dirt will only provide a brief moment with God, just like the brief life of the dandelion in that hard concrete. If we allow ourselves to enjoy the deep rich soil that God provides it will allow for our development to know God more and more.

As a gardener I always expect everything I plant to grow and flourish. I rarely consider that one of my plants could die when I plant it in the ground. I know from experience it takes good soil for this to happen. The richer the soil, the more beautiful the flower or plant. It’s just like that walking with God. He can do more that you can ever dream possible in your life if you just let him. All you can ask or imagine…Ephesians 3:20

Consider this parable from Jesus in Matthew Chapter 13. 

The Meaning of the Harvest Story – Matthew 13:18-23

 18-19 “Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.  

20-21 “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

 22 “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.

 23 “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”  

The Dandelion will only live for one day or a few at most, but you can live forever.   1 John 5:11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.  

I have an acronym for one little dandelion…OLD. Just remember you’re never too old to begin something new. You have more than one day unlike the dandelion. Another day to do something you’ve always wanted to do. A second chance to make amends. So get out there and dream some dreams, have some fun. And remember keep smiling.