Dandelions: You See Flowers in These Weeds

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a pure heart Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel as though I have very little to offer God.  Particularly so during this season of Lent, where I am deliberately giving of myself in order to connect with Him on a deeper level.  Sometimes I find myself wondering “what do I really have to give?” in the span of an Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent God.  

I remember a song from my teenager years by a (then up and coming) horn band called Five Iron Frenzy.  Their songs had some unexpectedly meaningful lyrics.  

One song in particular reminds me that no matter what I have to give Him, it is in the act of giving that God is glorified, rather than in what is being given.  God has the ability to see beautiful flowers even in the weeds that we give Him. 

He has the ability to see past our sinful hearts and our brokenness and find something beautiful.

As you seek to draw closer to Him, may this song bring you some encouragement in knowing that not only is He seeing something beautiful inside you, but He is also creating something beautiful within you.  The words to this song speak more than I could try to explain, so with that said, take some time to meditate upon their meaning. 

In a field of yellow flowers,
underneath the sun,
bluest eyes that spark with lightning,
boy with shoes undone.

He is young,
so full of hope,
reveling in tiny dreams,
filling up his arms with flowers,
right for giving any queen.

Running to her beaming bright,
while cradling his prize.
A flickering of yellow light,
within his mother's eyes.

She holds them to her heart,
keeping them where they'll be safe,
clasped within her very marrow,
dandelions in a vase.

She sees love, where
anyone else would see weeds.
All hope is found.
Here is everything he needs.

Fathomless your endless mercy,
weight I could not lift.
Where do I fit in this puzzle,
what good are these gifts?
Not a martyr or a saint,
scarcely can I struggle through.
All that I have ever wanted
was to give my best to you.

Lord, search my heart,
create in me something clean.
Dandelions
you see flowers in these weeds.

Gently lifting hands to heaven,
softened by the sweetest hush,
a Father sings over his children,
loving them so very much.

More than words could warrant,
deeper than the darkest blue,
more than sacrifice could merit,
Lord, I give my heart to you.

Some thoughts on a Blind Beggar:

Luke 18:41

“What do you want me to do for you?”

He could have passed him by.  He could have acted as though He didn’t hear his cries among the deafening crowd.  He could have pointed to His busy schedule, His important agenda...for He was on his way to save all of mankind.  He could have easily disregarded him.  In fact, He could have even tried to silence him like all the rest had done.

A blind beggar was all that he was; just a poor man with nothing to offer the world.  Day by day he lived, ignored by the steps he heard walking by and scorned by the faces he would never see.  But today was different.  Today he heard a crowd, he heard joy, and he heard celebration.  “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by”, they answered him, hoping he might then cease from bothering them. 

Jesus of Nazareth.  Just the sound of the name filled the blind beggar with an indescribable hope.  Jesus of Nazareth.  He had heard so much about this man, this prophet, this teacher, this friend.  He had heard the stories of love, of compassion, of healing and mercy.  Maybe He would be different, the blind beggar hoped.  Maybe He would not be like the others who day by day walked by him with only pity to offer and ridicule to heap. Jesus of Nazareth.  “Son of David”, he heard himself crying with the depth of his being, “Have mercy on me”.  Over and over again he cried out, his loud voice echoing of desperation, “Have mercy on me”. 

And through his cries and tears...he felt a gentle hand upon his face.  He heard a voice so close he could feel his breath as he spoke words of life into his suffering, “What do you want me to do for you?”.   

The Almighty had put everything aside to reach down and hear the cry of a poor beggar.  The one who was disregarded by all was now in the presence of the loving power of a Savior.  Jesus had come to listen, to hear, and to understand.  Jesus had come to melt away the crowd and allow this blind beggar to take all of him in that moment- his healing, his worth, and his very life.  And in that intimate moment, Jesus overcame the title of friend, prophet and teacher....for he became his Lord, “Lord, I want to see”. 

And the same face of Jesus is so near to us: His loving hands, His gentle voice, reaching over the noise of the crowds in our life- and giving us every part of his attention, all that He is. 

And when we cry out to him, there immediately comes that intimate moment in our lives: to let him go by, or to call him Lord.  The choice to receive healing, or to choose to continue to live in death.  The chance to open our eyes and face our beautiful Savior, or to go on with a mask of darkness covering our blinded eyes.  

“Immediately, he received sight, and followed Jesus, praising God.”   

May we also be the recipients of sight.      

Hypocrisy II:

My friend Andrew recently emailed me some thoughts regarding my last post.  He said there was a new movie coming out that had a similar message.  Here's part of the email he sent:

I heard there was this quote in there that was in synch w/ Deb's blog..."The Church is the body of Christ. For the past fifty years, the hands and feet have been amputated, and all we've been is a big mouth"

The new movie is called: Lord, Save Us From Your Followers...and actually comes out today in theaters.  I'm posting the link he sent me.  Maybe it's finally time for the church to rekindle its urgency and begin living a Christ inspired life.

Check it out and let me know your thoughts.  Thanks Andrew, for the thoughts. 

Lord, Save Us From Your Followers.