Prepping ingredients in a church kitchen with a group of volunteers for a fundraising dinner, I was astonished by the response of two sisters in Christ when a fellow worker tried to show them how to properly hold a knife. He had learned the technique, which prevented injuries, while working in restaurant kitchens.
They seemed offended, telling him they had been slicing and dicing for 30 years or so and didn’t need advice. It is easy to harden our heart when change is suggested. We can become entrenched in old ways.
A few years ago, after the snow melted and plants began to push up through the damp soil, I noticed Dandelions were scattered throughout my yard. They pushed through the small, tan volcanic rocks I had carefully placed around succulent plants called Hens and Chicks. They were entangled in my Iris plants as well as the Columbine. Also, they were tightly pressed against wooden fence posts and deck stairs. They seemed to be everywhere, although not as prominent as those growing in my neighbor’s lawn across the street which was a bright yellow due to the flowering plants.
I looked at the Dandelions with disdain and pulled out my trowel to dig deep beneath their roots and eradicate them from my yard. However, the morning after I had filled a garbage bag full of weeds, including the dreaded Dandelion, my husband read a column he came across while browsing the Internet. He was quite astonished. And once he shared it with me, I was astonished too.
Although it is the most unpopular plant in most neighborhoods it was only in the twentieth century that people labeled Dandelions a weed. Before they developed a bad reputation, gardeners would remove the grass so Dandelions had room to grow. They were valued for their medicinal and nutritional benefits as well as their beauty.1
While these are interesting facts gathered by the author of the column, Anita Sanchez, they don’t astonish. This does:
–Dandelions have more vitamin A than spinach, more vitamin C than tomatoes, and are also rich in iron, calcium, and potassium.
–Dandelions are good for lawns because their root system aerates, reduces erosion, and pulls nutrients, such as calcium, up from the soil nourishing other plants.
–Dandelions help the liver filter toxins from the bloodstream.
This new information changed my disdain to admiration and respect. I don’t know if I have ever had such a dramatic change in attitude.
Just because we have believed something all our life or been doing something a certain way most of our life does not mean it is correct. Much of the Apostle’s teaching in the New Testament is foreign to us and often contrary to what the world teaches and what we practice before coming to know Christ as Lord and Savior and studying His Word.
Let’s be teachable. I think we will be astonished by God and changed dramatically.
©2023 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved
Photo from Pixabay.
Be sure to share your answers in the comment section!
Let’s Talk:
1-What opportunities to improve or change did you miss because you were offended?
1-How has God’s Word pulled you from an entrenched belief you once had?
References:
1-Column, “Ten Things You Might Not Know About Dandelions” by Anita Sanchez printed at http://www.mofga.org summer 2007. Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association).