Dandelions

Spring time often brings wonder to a pre-schooler for so many reasons. In our front and back yard there are bird feeders that bring with it many different types of birds. From finches to morning doves, we have them all. The trees are in full blossom as well. Right by my kitchen window is a beautiful lilac tree that should begin blossoming soon. With all of the bugs and more coming out, the fact remains there is one thing my kids are simply enamored with...that is dandelions. 

No matter how much I use weed and feed in my yard early in the season, I still manage to get these popping up here and there. For my daughter Emma this is the greatest thing because inevitably she picks quite a few for mom. Through the eyes of a child a weed like the dandelion is no different than a fully bloomed american beauty red rose. Why is that? Because nobody wants to corrupt a child telling them “we don’t like dandelions because they are weeds.” Instead we let the child truly see beauty for what it is. 

Sadly there comes a point where a child finds out that this beautiful yellow sunburst is simply a weed. It is as if from that moment forward they look at it differently. They will kick it, pop the top off with their thumb or even take one and smear the yellow part on a friends arm. They have lost respect for this once beautiful thing in their eyes because someone told them what they perceive it to be. 

Through our everyday life we have to be careful. Remember that person you use to view one way through innocent eyes? How about that group of people you really did not know much about other than they were always nice to you so you were nice to them? Somewhere along life's path someone told you “that person is a sinner or living in sin.” We end up getting all of these preconceived thoughts about different groups of people because we lost our innocence. Somewhere along the way we no longer live out “love your neighbor as yourself” because they don’t think, act or talk like we do. This often times leads us to judging what we simply do not know. 

I pray often that God would help us get back to that innocence lost. Many times I have to ask got to help me to truly view people the way He does...with love and compassion. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they have done, we must simply learn to love people who are not like us because even a dandelion is beautiful through untainted eyes.