Dandelion: Everybody knows it. Originally came to North America as a garden plant, it is now a mostly unloved weed. Jagged little leaves form a springtime rosette cluster. Warm weather sees the leaves turn tougher, to support the upcoming flower stalk that springs from the center. It blooms a sunshine yellow, closing each night, and days later reappearing as a fluffy puffball, scattering seeds to the slightest wind.
Did you know? The leaves may be eaten fresh or cooked, and the roots can be cooked. Some cuisines hold the dandelion in high esteem for its tender, nutritious greens. Chefs have even developed methods of growing blanched dandelion leaves – leaves grown in dark places, so only a little chlorophyll develops. The result is more tender, sweeter greens.
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“All that glitter is not gold; all that wander is not lost”
- J.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings.
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Beauty is skin deep. There is a similar theme embedded in many folks and fairy tales. A pretty face can conceal a cold deceitful heart. Until Snow White came of age, her wicked step mother was unrivalled as the fairest in the land. The White Witch who hold sways over CS Lewis’ Narnia is pale and cold but perilously beautiful. The message is clear! Appearance can be deceiving! Outward loveliness can be a screen for deep seated evil. We know that the devil can masquerade himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
file photo: Switzerland, 1993
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But the deception of appearance can be a double cutting blade. What about the other edge? Can something look foul but yet be fair? Is it possible that God sends his most precious gifts to us in little packages we are little tempted to open. Can truth and beauty be concealed behind an unattractive, even repulsive veneer?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not... For he bore the sins of many - Isaiah 53: 2-3, 12
It is vital for those who set out on the adventure of faith to recognize that deception work both ways: "All that is gold does not glitter, and not all those who wander are lost"
Reflection:
Look closely. Good and evil seldom come clearly labeled.
Source:
S.T. Hitchcock (1984) Wildflowers on the Windowsill
The Audubon Society (1986) Pocket Guides - Familiar Flowers in North America (Eastern Region)
Finding God in the Lord of the Rings
