Dandelion Seeds

Dandelion seeds…a child’s delight…I remember how fun it was to pick up one of these and after making a wish, blowing on it until it looks like…

Then I’d pick up another one and spend many enjoyable moments delighting in blowing and watching the seeds fly through the air.

Now as a gardener, I groan when I see a dandelion seed knowing full and well the weed can only ruin the look of a beautiful yard. Each time one of these seeds is sent flying in the air there is a chance when it lands it will ruin someone’s hard work or just cause a field of thistles.

I was reading the story of Jacob and how he fell in love with Rachel. He made a deal with Rachel’s dad to work seven years to be able to marry her. The morning after their wedding night he woke up to discover the dad had deceived him and he had married her older sister, Leah. Jacob soon discovered it was the custom that the oldest had to be married before the youngest.  

It’s like, uh thanks Laban (Rachel’s dad) for speaking up and letting Jacob know.

Jacob loved Rachel and made another deal (why he trusted Laban after that I don’t know except the fact that Jacob was good at deceiving people himself) to work another seven years for Rachel, but Jacob had to do the customary wedding week with Leah before he could have Rachel. So Jacob complied and did the week with Leah and then…he married the one he loved… Rachel.

Laban’s deceit blew seeds of angst into his daughter’s relationships and their children.

Poor Leah, was an unloved woman, who God blessed with sons. Each time she had a son, poor woman would think to herself, Now my husband will love me. One time she sold her son’s mandrakes (plant) so she could have a night with her husband.

Sends shivers up my spine at how desperate that sounds.

Now Rachel was barren and had to observe the man she loved have children with another woman. That had to be so incredibly hard, too. Then finally, the time came when Rachel had a child of her own.

Joseph. Now Joseph was well loved by his dad.

Joseph had his faults, one of the big one’s was he bragged…a LOT.

His dad made him a special coat and sent Joseph out to check on his brothers. His half brothers were pretty jealous of their younger bragging brother.

One day they sold him and told their dad he got killed by a wild animal.

One seed of deceit caused many weeds to grow in people’s lives.

Sometimes it’s just one action that can cause so much pain to those around us. Sometimes we aren’t even aware of the pain we cause in other’s lives.

In and throughout the weeds growing in this family, was the touch of the gardener’s hand.

Unloved Leah had many sons which was really important for a woman back then.

Barren Rachel was able to have a son and her husband continued to love her.

Sold… Joseph was brought down a path which led him into a position of authority, in which he was able to bring his family to a place where they had food during a time of famine.

Out of the lineage of Jacob came Jesus the only begotten Son of God.

He took the death of His Son Jesus and turned it into eternal life for His creation.

God the master gardener is still able to bring beauty in the midst of the weeds caused by the seeds of our own sins, or the seeds of another person that may touch our lives.

Years ago, I was ready to tear out a dried up rose bush, entangled in thorns. After pulling the weeds out from around the bush, I was amazed to find a solitary rose.

My prayer would be that God would open our eyes, while we are in the middle of entangled messes, to see the work of His hand.