I was having a little pity party the other day. The kind where you have the feeling, enough already! I had just had an emergency surgery January 2018, and just about nine months later I injured my knee really badly. I had fractured my tibia, fibula, sprained MCL, my calf muscles, and while tearing my ACL at the same time. Yeah, I know I’m very talented when it comes to injuring myself.
I was just able to go to the gym, and now I would again become a couch potato for another 8 weeks. It was starting to feel better, but I knew I was going to need surgery before I could go back to the gym. The gym is like my healthy addiction, and it’s not pretty when I can’t go. I may or may not have thrown a fit at the idea of it.
Surgery is just a few weeks away, and while trying to prepare myself for yet another surgery, February, 2019, and the recovery. All the little thing that can go wrong of course wanted to make their appearance. Usually, this is time I do a little heavenly, Lord help me. I have made it this far. Get me through this too.
I decided to flip through FB(I’m sure no one else does this), for a mini break from, all the ciaos. I saw one of my friend’s posts, I had just referred to the Mayo clinic for help. FYI, that’s where I go for my rare disease. Oh, yeah the fact that I have a degenerative liver disease that gives me blood clots, and internal bleeding, might be of help just now.
Anyways, she just got home from her surgery, and had a picture of her hand with two small “flowers” (dandelions) that her sons had picker for her.
I think we can all remember the day we picked a dandelion, and was shocked to find out it was no flower at all, but a weed. I recall the times that I helped my Mom in the garden, and I asked her, “How can you tell the difference of a weed from a flower?” After close examination, she showed me how to see littledifferences. You had to know what you are looking for.She also, taught me that you have to pull the weeds up by the roots, or they would just grow back. I didn’t realize how much this gardening moment was going to minster on this day.
In Mathew 13:24, God says that he lets the weeds grow up with the wheat, as to not pull out the plant. Weeds try to choke out the plant. So, why would God leave these terrible things to stay?
The plant just needed more time to grow. The little things in life that annoy us, is God just letting us grow among the weeds. It makes the roots dig down a little deeper, and get stable as to not lose you with the weed. Wow! Okay, no more complaining…..I get it. Message received.
Then, God, gave me one of those, ooh…..no we are not done yet. Not only will I pluck out the weeds, but what else do I say? Isaiah 54:17, no evil formed against you will prosper. I will make all things for your good. So, not only will he remove the weeds, but he will make you prosper. I wasn’t quite buying that one as much. Have you seen the year I have had Lord? Must I remind you about all the changes in my life? Haven’t I been through enough? Where is this prospering you speak of?
A little memory popped into my head of college, and I heard this story. We had a girl transfer to our college from another country. A group of kids were walking outside on a spring day, and they saw the girl, take in a deep exciting breath, and ran with a big smile on her face. She ran into a field of dandelions that were over growing. She was plucking out as many as she could carry.
Of course the groups of friends are trying not to laugh while explaining to the girl that what she had picked in two large fists were not beautiful yellow flowers, that she had imagined them to be.
To their embracement, she sad, “I know what these are, they are dandelions!” Everyone seemed perplexed, and waiting for further information. Something was not making sense. Finally, someone asks her, “Do you not have them where you are from?”
She explained they were rare to find. She couldn’t understand why they were not as excited as she was about these yellow treasures? It was obvious, that there was some disconnect as to what this was all about. She said, “Honestly, you guys don’t collect these?” She began to tell them they were used for tea. They had amazing properties for health, and it was used as medicinal practice. Side not, this is before the days of google for you younger folks.
You can picture, the faces of all the kids who were laughing at the childish act of picking (dandelions) flowers, just a few minutes before. Only to find out, what they knew as a pesky weed, was now some type of medicine!
God has plans to take the actual weed from you, and make it the very thing to blesses you. It has given me a whole new appreciation for the things God allows to challenge us. When you look at your life, and you examine the weeds. You can now smile, and know that it will serve you in God’s timing as medicine. Proving his point that he makes all things for our good. No evil formed against you will prosper.
- Toxic People - July 30, 2019
- Lessons of a Dandelion - April 8, 2019
- Chapters - March 5, 2019