By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Notice first of all the attached photo.  You probably have dandelions in your yard, too.  These wildflowers (or weeds, if that’s what you prefer to call them) can pop up anywhere.  Some are in the middle of the yard, and some grow in the tiniest of cracks in the sidewalk concrete.  They are hearty, they provide some sustenance for the bees, and the puffy ones can provide a bit of entertainment for a kid making a wish and blowing bits into the air.

What I want you to notice most of all is that both pictures are dandelions.  The yellow flower comes first, then it transforms into the white/fluffy one.  Each of those tiny parts can then be scattered to the wind and settle in another place to bloom at a later time.  These two pictures are merely different stages of the exact same plant.

Are you ever guilty of comparing your Christian life, your Bible knowledge, your worship style, or your daily walk with that of another believer?  Perhaps we are arrogant enough to think we are much more seasoned than a new Christian.  But more times than not, I think, we look at those around us and believe we aren’t nearly the good Christian that our neighbor or fellow church member is.  When, in fact, we are simply two stages of the exact same plant.

Thank God not all Christians are alike!  It would be a mighty dull place if we were.  We grow at different stages, and we bloom at different stages.  Later, when our growth has matured us to God’s desired level in our lives, we scatter our witness to the winds and allow it to be planted elsewhere.  Isn’t it amazing how God works?

I don’t know whether you would consider yourself a wildflower or a weed today.  But, as a child of God, remind yourself that we’re just growing and blooming at different stages, becoming all He wants us to be, in His way, and in His timing.

Just a thought.