Many years ago an enterprising farmer packed up various seeds and shoots of plants to bring with him to America. He wanted a beautiful garden, I assume, as well as one that was filled with health as well as beauty. When deciding what to bring on his trip he chose one of the most beautiful and healthy plants known to man, the dandelion.
What makes dandelion removal from lawns so difficult? Well, dandelions (see picture for identification) enjoy the best of both worlds. Above-ground, their seeds ride the wind currents, poised to drop into the slightest opening in your lawn to propagate the species. Meanwhile, below-ground, they strike down a taproot up to 10" long. Pulling the taproot as a means of dandelion removal is problematic. Thick but brittle, the taproot easily fractures -- and any fraction of the taproot that remains in the ground will regenerate.
I always liked the dandelion. It was a fascinating flower and I loved to pick one when it was blooming and blow the fragile, frail little petals off into the wind to see how far they would float in the air. As far as I could see, all kids loved dandelions but a lot of adults hated them.
I never could figure out why people hated dandelions. they were harmless unlike poison ivy and poison oak. They wouldn't make the cattle sick or stink up the neighborhood. They were, as I said, beautiful and so hardy. But many adults decided they were weeds and conspired with the chemical industry to kill them off.
One thing about the dandelion, no matter how hard people tried to kill them they grew and spread all over the country. I suppose so many kids were like me. they too loved to blow their heads off when their folks or other adults were not looking. And, the wind cooperated with the dandelion's deep desire to reproduce. The results are everywhere apparent. Bright, beautiful, yellow dandelions as far as the eye can see, especially in play grounds.
The dandelion is a great metaphor for the good news of Jesus Christ. The love, healing and eternal life gained through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a beautiful flower that brings health, peace and beauty into the world. It never does any harm. Life with Jesus is always good and loving. Yet many people try to stamp it out.
There are several atheist and agnostic groups today that are aggressively attempting to force religion and specifically Christianity, out of the public eye. They will fail, of course, but it is still a bit irritating to see. They might as well try to eliminate dandelions.
An ancient Prophet once said of such efforts "The seed of the church is the blood of the martyrs." A martyr's blood is sacred but the testimony of a martyr can never be extinguished. The wind of the Holy Spirit blows wherever it wills and the hate of atheists cannot extinguish the love and power of the good news.
When hateful anti Christians attempt to "pull faith up by the roots" parts of our testimony breaks off and reproduces. It is almost impossible to get to the root of a dandelion and remove it.
The harder they blow their hot air the more the good news is spread throughout the world. Millions of people come to Christ every year. More people respond to the wooing of the Holy Spirit with newly opened eyes than give up eternal life for the arrogance of disbelief.
Every time you see a dandelion remind yourself to thank God for the gospel and share it with someone to pass it on.
We at Sweeten Life Systems is energetically involved in equipping Christians to share the good news with love, sensitivity and boldness. Your prayer and financial support for SLS will enable us to expand the Kingdom of God even more. See our web page for more information.
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