Dandelions have a rough reputation as being weeds and undesirables, like little gangsters who take over yards if one isn’t watching to protect the smooth grass. Honestly, they are that, but they are also amazing little plants who have been designed with seed propulsion using the wind and charmed little kids who want wishes granted. They make a decent green salad, have many nutrients that have huge health benefits and can be made into teas and tonics. However, they remain the bane of the yard because they spread gloriously and happily across miles and over boundaries with bliss, taking over green fields with little clumps of yellow joy. Now consider the lowly cocklebur, for those of you unfamiliar, this little weed produces seed pods that are the actual inspiration for the modern day velcro. Little pods of seeds encased in tiny hooks like protrusions that are designed to cling to any passing hairy or clothing covered creature. Some are even clever enough to cling into skin itself, like a natural sticker. These grew quite well where I grew up, and coming home in fall covered with these little pods was annoying, but nothing was worse that finding them in my hair. I remember at least two haircuts in my past credited to these little charmers. They are incredibly difficult to get out burrowing seemingly of their own accord into hair and fabric and holding on for a ride to a new land presumably not yet covered in the weed. Clever, but a bit tough on those of us with long hair, but have been documented to have transversed entire continents just holding on until finding a good spot. Another example of a seed spreader is the sunflower, bright happy flowers filled to the brim with delicious seeds that everyone and the birds want to enjoy. Taking their chances to be consumed and later deposited with fertilizer in some far away new land to try and take root into. Bringing out the majority of seeds during the times when birds are on the move is no coincidence. When one begins considering all the different examples of how seeds get from one place to another the mind boggles with the possibilities.

Knowing this, I am a bit confused on why so many of us think there are only a few ways of spreading the seeds of our faith. There are so many different kind of souls out there, so many different hearts how can we possibly imagine that the ways of sharing and spreading the seeds of Christianity should be limited? Some hearts need the gentle invasion of the dandelion, bringing nutrition and health. Some hearts may require the tenacity of the cocklebur sticking into the person’s thoughts until they reach a new place where they might have fertile soil. Then there are those who might need an outsider to bring the seeds to a new place far from where the original plant is from. We all enjoy rules, outlines, formats to bring planning into mind. How do we go about doing something? How can we graph our results? How do we show how effective this was? These makes us feel in control and make us feel as though we are using our efforts to the best effectiveness. However, this need to be measuring, weighing, graphing our effectiveness in the Kingdom is absolutely ridiculous. If we go where we are guided by the Spirit and speak what He lays on our hearts, or simply do what we are asked to do, the results are stupendous, but we may or may not ever see them. If we put a cocklebur into someone’s thoughts… how are we to ever measure the effectiveness of its spread? How are we ever to graph how much time and money was spent accomplishing it? We can’t. This work of seed planting is not a business of a human kind but one of divinity. When John came and stayed with Timothy in his home for two months and shared with him repeatedly only to run into a brick wall over and over again, and then hear him tell him not to bother with ever trying to share again because he was now a stronger Muslim because of John, there were no measurements to be taken. It was after, when the words he shared burrowed deep and found fertile ground much later, after being watered profusely with prayer did John know what that visit meant. Even now, he can’t measure it, since with that one visit Timothy converted, but has since led many Muslims to the Lord as well. 

Funny thing, all these plants I shared about while very diverse in their skill to spread their seeds, they are all members of the same family. They are unique in their methods but their family remains the same. Imagine if they told each other they were doing it wrong instead of just following what worked for each of them. Let us not get stuck in certain ways of approaching peoples hearts, let us not loose faith with a seed that seems to travel a long distance and we don’t see results. Let us not label something a weed simply because it doesn’t fit with our idea of beauty, but let us test it and see if it beneficial or poison. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to guide us more than our graphs and methods. Some things are simply a work of faith and trust, like planting a seed and trusting Him to bring it up. 

With Love,                                                Angela Abraham