Dandelion Puffs...

Dandelions are often viewed as a pesky little weed that continually perpetuates it's annoying self in a small amount of time. They grow and bloom seemingly overnight before going to seed just a few days later. It's next to impossible to catch them before they flower leading to a reputation of being one of the hardest flowers to kill.

There's something about dandelions that have always fascinated me. When I first started this blog over ten years ago, the picture of a dandelion's seeds floating in the wind not only caught my eye but resonated with me in some way. It became a trademark over the years, just as the title Simply Being Kari represented who I desired to be: just me. Simply Kari.

You may not know this but I have this unusual ability to take something extremely insignificant and complicate it until I'm so frazzled and frustrated that it's hard to even think straight. My brain is somehow wired to organize, to problem solve, and to critically think...all good things to be sure. But many times I overthink a problem and find myself with no solution at all. I've often wondered if my brain is defective in some way.

See why dandelions fascinate me? They have such simple lives: root, grow, bloom, spread.

For Christmas this year my wonderful sister gifted me this dandelion mug...

...and sparked my curiosity. It probably seems strange. Do I really picture myself like a weed, blooming for just a short time before being torn apart and carried away in the wind? No, this is something else entirely. 

It's more like being transporting back to my childhood, when things were simpler, and life was uncomplicated. I remember running around the yard barefoot in the late summer afternoons, picking these cute little dandelion puffs and watching their seeds easily float away. 

But what is it about the dandelion that draws me?  

Centuries ago dandelions were once loved around the world. They were often used for everything from medicine to cooking. Surprisingly they were found to contain more nutrients than many other vegetables. 

The entire body from bloom to stem is edible, providing a rich course of vitamins C and A, potassium, iron, and other antioxidants. According to the Flower Glossary, studies have shown that the roots and leaves can reduce cholestrol and boost the immune system. 

In the yard, dandelions prove to be quite beneficial for the grass. Dandelion roots spread wide to aerate the soil. They then soak up nutrients from the deeper soil before using their extensive underground network to fertilize the rest of the lawn. 

More importantly, this "weed" has come to symbolize survival, healing, and hope: survival because of their durability, their deep root system, and their ability to quickly grow and spread; healing because of their nutritional qualities; and hope because they never give up. 

What incredible lessons can we take away from this?

Lesson one: Walk with Him. Be grounded. Grow and spread. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Colosse, As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Col. 2:6-7) 

Lessons two and three: Seek strength through Him. Let Him heal your wounds and nourish your inner man. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ...(Eph. 3:13,16-19a) 

Today I figuratively give a dandelion to you. As we head into a brand new year, may this flower (or weed, however you look at it) remind you to just simply be: be planted in Him, grow in His Word, and bloom for His glory. Be persistant. Be durable. Be resilient. 

...Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13-14)

Simply Learning to Be,