What's the Problem With Dandelions Anyway? 

Often I don’t have a lot to say. Sometimes I have a few things to say. And then there are times when I say something that produces a very quizzical look on my wife's face. This is about one of those times.

As a result of COVID-19, I am now working from home and have taken to walking the neighbourhood once - maybe twice a day. What I notice is many of my neighbours on their hands and knees, taken to uprooting all the dandelions that the warm sunny weather has brought about in their yards. This leads me to a thought. What makes dandelions undesirable? In fact, what makes what we have labeled "weeds" undesirable? All are plants made by our Heavenly Father and all have been declared by Him to be good, as it says in  Genesis 1:11-12

"Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The  earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good".

Yet some of these plants we like, and some we don’t. And some, like dandelions, we just can’t tolerate.  When I posed this question to Kim, I saw that quizzical look, yet no answer followed. I too have no real answer either, other than, I suppose, somewhere along the line someone decided they did not go well with their idea of a lush green lawn.

As I think more about my neighbours working so hard to rid their lawns of those pesky yellow plants, I am reminded of the undesirable thing called “sin” that forever seems to spring up and stand out in my life. The question of whether or not sin is undesirable is moot. There may be places in this world where dandelions and other weeds are embraced and even desirable, but when it comes to sin, this is where the comparison ends. For it is God who made us and it is mankind that sinned bringing death to all of us. Roman 5:12 says:

 "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned".

I am reminded that God hates the sin that entered this world through Adam and Eve. God hates the sin in my life. God hates what it did, and hates what it does to me and to you. Sin separates us from God and has cast upon us all the penalty of death.  However, our creator is merciful and kind and does not leave us to our “just deserts”. He does not  leave us to our own ways to figure out what sin is  and how to deal with it. For if we were left on our own, we would not even have a clue that we have a sin problem. Oh, maybe we would see that pride, or selfishness, or greed (to name just a few) can lead to breakdowns in our relationships with family and friends. But without the Lord, through the awakening power of the Holy Spirit, changing our rock hard heart that we were born with into a heart of flesh, we would  not know the serious problem we have with sin. So God brings it to our attention and makes a way for us to respond. As Ezekiel 11:19-20 says: 

"And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God."

God is merciful and kind and is not willing that any should perish. We are told this in 2 Peter 3:9:

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

So where does that leave us when we see the sin that is still raising it’s ugly head in our lives? Personally speaking, I hate the sin in my life, but I don’t think I hate it enough. Paul speaks about  this disparity in his life in Romans 7 15-18:

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me".

I understand that although I am redeemed, sin still exists in me. It still has a hold on me as the roots of sin go very deep into my heart and I am constantly facing old and stubborn ways.

So in order to grapple with the ongoing problem of sin we must turn to our Lord continually, to seek His forgiveness and to lean into His promises, for we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. But remember, it is the Lord Himself that completes the work in us.  We are reminded of this in Philippians 2:12-13: 

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure".

I am reminded of an article by John Piper where he asks a question that has stayed with me. In that article, Piper  makes  reference to when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and asks the question, "how does one obey a command when one is dead?” In John 11:43 Jesus is standing before the the tomb of Lazarus, who has been dead for 4  days. Martha is concerned about an odor…yikes!  John 11:41-43 tells us:

"So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”

How on earth can Lazarus be expected to respond to Jesus’ command when he is dead, bound up in grave clothes, and did I mention the fact that he is dead!?

The answer is right before our eyes and weaves all through God’s word. Before Lazarus was commanded to come out, he was first given the life he needed to be able to respond to Jesus' command! You see, our God is way ahead of us at every moment and every turn. He is all sufficient, completely trustworthy, holy, kind, full of mercy and grace.

How do we deal with our ongoing problem with sin, and work out our salvation with fear and trembling? We do so by trusting the all sufficient God who loves us and empowers us to live this life that he has redeemed us to! We do so by abiding in His word, praying and drawing near to Him.

So bring your weakness and sin before the Lord … and let the Holy Spirit bring about the finished work.

And if you see any dandelions in your lawn, maybe leave them be. Yellow is a nice color, don’t you think?