Dandelions

I've been reading a book for work called, "Crucial Conversations." It is helpful in understanding how to create dialogue with someone, or a group of people, in order to reach unified results without the anger and other emotions that often accompany a difficult topic.

In the book (Third Edition) the idea was brought up about a well manicured lawn that has a dandelion pop up. The book shares how so many people will simply clip the dandelion and not get to the "root" of the problem by removing the dandelion by its roots.

This concept really got me thinking because...

1) Dandelions are really not weeds and as bad as we think. They are actually healthy for us and can be made into many healthy products.

2) I get the idea of needing to get to the root of an issue or problem, and I do understand the concept of getting rid of stuff that is bad for us, and yet - so often we get rid of the wrong concept and weed out what could actually be good.

Think about this, someone different comes to work. They have new ideas and thoughts. They are different and unique. What do we do with them? Do we try to get to know them and have discussions with them? Or, do we begin to "weed them out" because they don't fit into our "manicured lawn?"

Same with school... When a new student joins, do we really get to know them? Or, do we try to mold them into who we are and how we live? Then, when they don't live like that and begin to make decisions we don't understand, do we "weed them out" because they don't fit into our "manicured lawn?"

As I stated above, I get the idea that we need to weed out the bad. There is evil in this world and due to not getting rid of it (in the name of we have to love like Jesus loves), it continues to trickle along and flares its ugly head often. In the Bible there are numerous incidents where years later the Children of Israel had issues because they did not "weed out the evil." It is happening again in our world today.

However, there have been times along the way that the "church" has seen what they thought to be evil and wanted to weed it out, when really it was a dandelion that was healthy for the situation at hand and should have been allowed to continue to grow. The "church" tried to "manicure its lawn" and got rid of what they thought was evil when really it was healthy. It started when Constantine got rid of the Jewish Biblical holidays.

We are selfish people. We desire pomp and circumstance. We want to be known. We want our lawns to look great and be well manicured. But, we are missing the mark. We have lost the concept that sometimes a "weed" is really something to help us grow and become healthy. Sometimes those dandelions need to be there to help us see how imperfect we really are. Sometimes people come into our lives with different thoughts and ideas that will actually help us grow (and guess what, they may not look like us).

These are the high holy days in Jewish tradition. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are past. Sukkot begins on Monday. It is time for us to celebrate who we are in HIM this coming year. It is time for us to tabernacle together knowing that HE is in control and is always with us. He brings ALL things together in His time. And, it might mean putting a dandelion in your yard.

We need to ask for discernment and wisdom to know when it is truly evil and when it isn't. I am speaking to myself as I walk this journey of life and try to discern what is Truth and what isn't. So many thoughts and ideas... I can only pray that I hear Him clearly.

Take time today to look at someone who you think is a dandelion, and see what should be accepted from him/her. When we truly LOVE with the LOVE of God, then we make a difference in the world around us. When we stop thinking of what others think, then we make a difference in the world around us. Embracing these thoughts might actually bring some color into the world.

Shabbat Shalom friends,

Rose