Have you ever marveled at a dandelion when it has gone to seed? Children love to pluck these delights and blow their soft rounded seeds into the wind and watch each seed as it takes flight and soars up and out of sight. As a dandelion flower is pollinated, its bright yellow flower eventually turns into a perfectly symmetrical sphere of seed parachutes. This sphere is perfectly organized using hundreds of these parachute shaped seeds, each fitting into its own socket on the stem.
Have you ever marveled at a dandelion when it has gone to seed? Children love to pluck these delights and blow their soft rounded seeds into the wind and watch each seed as it takes flight and soars up and out of sight. As a dandelion flower is pollinated, its bright yellow flower eventually turns into a perfectly symmetrical sphere of seed parachutes. This sphere is perfectly organized using hundreds of these parachute shaped seeds, each fitting into its own socket on the stem.
Because of the dandelion’s unique spherical design, when the seeds are at the right stage of dryness even a gentle breeze will begin to launch hundreds of seeds into the air for dispersal. But what’s even more wonderful is the design of each individual seed. Every seed is perfectly balanced to float on the wind that carries it away in hopes of finding the right conditions to sprout, eventually growing into another mature dandelion weed.
Each seed in itself is composed of a seed, stem and a spherical hair-like top. The whole assembly is perfectly designed and balanced to take flight, from the weight of the seed to the length of the stem that terminates into a parachute. This parachute portion consists of hundreds of ultra light hairs that are aerodynamically constructed for lift and prolonged flight. I guess I’m easily entertained, but I still enjoy launching these weed seed parachutes up over my fence and into my neighbor’s yard.
Our beginnings as “Christians” can be traced back to Jerusalem to a time when the first twelve apostles were all huddled together hiding from Roman persecution. They were much like the dandelion seeds, which start out all clustered together waiting for a mighty wind to disperse them up and out to another spot where they might sprout and thrive. In fact, it would be fifty days after Jesus ascended into heaven that the winds of Pentecost would begin to spread the seeds of Christianity up and out into the entire world.
“When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” Acts 2:1-2. It’s Interesting that the beginning of Christendom began in a small modest home with a handful of uneducated fishermen from Galilee. Then through the merciful hands of a loving God these rough, stiff-necked fishermen slowly became transformed into surrendered vessels of God. They were as living seeds floating on the winds of the Holy Spirit as God directed them to become fishers of men.
Oh, how good it is to be an instrument in the Master’s hand as He so skillfully molds and shapes our lives and the lives of others around us. As the wheel continues to turn, our Heavenly Potter gently grasps each of us shaping us into uniquely formed vessels of honor, fit and ready for the Master’s use. With each turn of the wheel His mighty right hand smoothes out every blemish, one by one, until we are ready for the fire. Once we have gone through the firing process, we are vitrified and ready for use.
Each of us is like a clay cup. We were fashioned from earth and given the gift of life from God as He blew and filled us with His Spirit. Now, with “free will” we have a choice to make. We can rebel or we can obey submitting to God’s will for our lives. Jesus said that we are to the salt and light of this world, not only preserving, but also adding light and flavor to the lost world that surrounds us. Each of us has to choose to surrender our own will, being in one accord with each other.
It’s only at the moment we surrender that God is able to re-fill our cups to overflowing. Since we are the temple, the residing place of the Holy Spirit, the way in which we make room for Him is to surrender our will to God. Then the Master is more than willing and able to heal us and to clean out all the dust and filth that we have allowed to fill us.
This is the mechanism God used with the first twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. As they yielded to God, He was able to lift them up on the wind of His Holy Spirit to be dispersed for His use throughout the entire earth. So we are all just like the seeds of a dandelion, perfectly designed by the Master to take flight and spread the wonderful news of the gospel. What is that good news? That God loves you, and wants you to choose to return to him!
