Today is so pretty, cloudless blue sky, quiet cool breezes reminding me fall is coming but warm sunshine still speaks in summer’s heat. I was walking Penelope and I glanced over at this beautiful little dandelion growing beside the broken sidewalk next door. This pretty little weed, bravely standing tall in a freshly mown lawn, its bright crayon yellow face framed by its kelly green “lion tooth” leaves, is surely a metaphor for faith.

I think I might like to be a dandelion, folding my petals at dusk, safe keeping my pollen and nectar for my bee and butterfly friends, warming my face as I open my petals and turn to the sun each morning. The dandelions have deep roots and the ability to bring sunshine and hope into unexpected places. Dandelions are strong little plants, putting down tap roots up to 15 feet deep. You can mow them or pull the up but they’ll come back. The dandelion is tenacious, with an uncanny ability to flourish in harsh conditions, growing through concrete, places other plants can’t.

“I have lost my smile, but don’t worry. The dandelion has it.” — Nhat Hanh

This little dandelion I’ve been watching has survived an avalanche of brown magnolia leaves, the blades of a lawn mower, and by the grace of God, the weed killer sprayer missed it. The dandelions are considered weeds but they’re really a type of sunflowers. You can eat the blooms and leaves, make tea from the roots, and herbal medicine from the plants. About the dandelions B. Atkinson writes, “The dandelion does not stop blooming because it is told it is a weed. It says ‘One day, they’ll be making wishes upon me,’” B. Atkinson.

Christians can be compared to dandelions in their faith’s ability to spread hope through God’s grace. Scripture tells us to be humble, like the dandelions, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love,” Ephesians 3:4. Christians bring others to faith by spreading the gospel through their words and actions. The dandelion’s puffball of seeds helicoptering in the wind remind us that life is full of change and new beginnings. One dandelion dying produces a thousand new flowers. When we’re spiritually rooted in our faith, we speak God’s words to others and the message of his love is multiplied. Dandelions serve as symbols of God’s teaching showing us beauty and hope can be found in unlikely places. Let’s be like the dandelions and spread our seeds of faith in unexpected places.

“Life’s beauty is in its fleeting moments, just like a dandelion’s dance in the breeze.” — Unknown