The other night I dreamed that I was showing some kids from church how to pull weeds. A girl yanked on a dandelion and, as is usually the case, the flower and stem cam off but the roots stayed in the ground. I showed them how the root needed to be dug out with a spade. Sure enough a long root came up from the earth. I looked down into the hole that was left behind a saw more dandelion--an unbloomed bud resting in the earth. I dug more, and more dandelion root came loose. Now, as I peered into my hole, which at this point was quite deep, there seemed to be the lip of some sort of pot. I dug and pulled until the item became loosed from the earth. Out came a vase of obvious age and quality. It was intricately made of clay, glazed and fired with expertise. The top had been cracked and broken but it was a clean break. I didn't have to dig much further to find the missing piece. It was truly a gem.
I looked once again into the hole and, lo!, a second vase, similar to the first, loosed from the ground which had so tightly held that dandelion root with ease. The pair were truly a find. I seemed all the turmoil of digging up the stubborn dandelion roots had reaped a joyous end.Why I had this dream, I'm not sure, but it has most definitely brought me some peace and joy in my life. It seems that God may be teaching me something about life's trials. The Struggle has worth; a value that may not be realized in the process. Taking the time, the perseverance, the effort to dig out the root of a problem which, on the surface seems relatively harmless--if not a bit attractive--could unearth surprising and unexpected blessings. These blessings may seem largely unrelated to the trial but are, regardless, gifts from God.
