This Is Why Perception Matters

I love flowers! Now that summer is here; I love seeing all the flowers in the landscaping of my next door neighbor’s yard.

After a long and cold spring, the flowers have finally all returned from their long winter’s nap. They even seem to stretch their long green leaves towards heaven as if they are smiling. As I walk around my neighborhood, it is like looking at lots of cute little faces.

Confession

Moment of honesty: I am terrible with plants and flowers. I tell people I can even kill silk plants. What it comes down to is that I don’t have a green thumb at all. My best bet is to buy flowers already grown and in pots. Even then, I struggle to keep them alive.

My horticulture experience is a running joke in my family because my momma had a huge green thumb and could bring almost dead plants back to lush, vibrant life. My father always has a superior producing garden and shares his produce with the whole neighborhood.

Giving Simple Joy

I was out walking, and one of the little girls who live in my neighborhood had picked some dandelions. She came running up to me with her fistful of bright yellow lion heads. Her mom stopped her by saying, “Honey, she doesn’t want those weeds.” I quickly said to the little girl, “I would love your beautiful bouquet.” Her face, which was filled with disappointment at first, suddenly filled with joy.

A Gift of Kindness

The little girl didn’t see the dandelions as weeds. She saw them as beautiful yellow flowers. Her only intent was to make someone smile with her kindness.

Perception matters. It's all that stands between in the way of a dandelion being defined as a flower or a weed. Click To Tweet

I remember when my daughter was her age, and how she would bring me a bouquet or a necklace of dandelions that she had strung together. She was always so happy to give them to me.

What is Your Perception?

At that moment, God taught me it is often our perception of things which keeps us from receiving His blessings. I could either look at the dandelion as a weed or a flower, as something useless or something to be valued.

If you look at a yellow dandelion up close, it really is a beautiful flower. And in truth, a dandelion is far more than a weed. Many people use dandelions for medicinal purposes. The dandelion plant is best known for its detoxifying properties as well as treating a host of ailments including heartburn, upset stomach, and inflammation.

More than a Weed

As a young Girl Scout, I was taught if you get lost in the woods, every part of the dandelion is edible and could save your life! Young dandelion leaves are very nutritious and popular either as cooked greens or in a salad. Dandelions are one of the first flowers of spring and are a significant part of our ecosystem because many insects depend on them for food, including bees. I bet you have heard of dandelion wine too! Talk about perception.

What’s the Value?

Some people go to great lengths to remove dandelions from their yards because they consider them a nuisance. They spend hundreds of dollars to get rid of what they perceive as a weed. But, it is our individual perception of the flower that lowers its value to nothing more than a useless weed.

Flowers and Humans

Did you ever notice how alike flowers and humans are?

I never thought about the similarities until God showed me.

How are flowers and like humans alike? They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. We each come from an embryo and live, breathe, and die.  Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Every flower is beautiful in its particular way and has a purpose because God designed it. Flowers also need oxygen to grow and water to survive. Flowers thrive best in adverse conditions when they are together because they can lean on one another. We do too! Most of all, we were both created to bring God glory!

God Never Sees Anything Less

I found myself asking the question, “Do I lower the value of human beings as a result of my own perceptions?”

We are living in volatile times, and it is easy to become cynical and look at others as weeds. However, if our perception of people or situations takes that negative turn, we are the ones who truly lose out on God’s blessings. God never looks on anything or anyone as being less than what He created them to be, including you and me. God sees us as His beautiful flowers.

Jesus Must Become More

My purpose is to love God’s people as He loves me. I’m not to put any labels on anyone. I’m not to judge anyone who doesn’t fit in my flower box or to think of them as a useless weed.

As a believer, I am called to have the attitude of Christ. For me to grow and thrive, Jesus must become more, and I must become less. When we surround ourselves with like-minded people, it helps us to keep our ground healthy, our soil fertile, so we can continue to grow in the beauty of God’s love and strength.

God Doesn’t Waste a Thing

A dandelion may not be your favorite flower, but God doesn’t waste a thing. I learned some valuable lessons about flowers and weeds. Never underestimate God’s plan for your life or anyone else’s. What you see and what others perceive are two different things. While others may see you or me as a nuisance, God sees us as valuable, beautiful, and needed. Never let people define who you are because God has created you with an identity all your own.

A dandelion may not be your favorite flower, but God doesn’t waste a thing. Click To Tweet

Sometimes, the most important life lessons God desires to teach us to involve the smallest things, such as a bouquet of dandelions, a child’s smile, and a God who loves flowers and weeds the same.

We Would Love To Hear From You

Have you thought about how perception makes a difference in your life? Or how God can use anything and everything for your good and His glory?

We would love to hear from you. Join the conversation in the comments below.

Recommended Christian Books On This Topic