Uncommon

My youngest son asked me this morning, “Mom, don’t you wish dandelions were flowers?” I knew what he meant. I looked around at our dandelion covered yard with its mix of sunny yellow blooms and puff-clouds of perfect white circles and thought, yes, it would be great if dandelions weren’t relegated to the status of weeds. Then, we would have the most beautiful lawn on our street.I mentally argued dandelions are flowers (and not just to get out of yard work), so why are they considered weeds? Is it because they are commonplace?I had always considered myself to be fairly ordinary. I was a B student in school. I was average in sports. I’m of average height. Even my shoe size is average. But over time, I’ve come to realize I’m not average. There are a lot of quirky components to Lorri Dudley. Over time, my experiences, passions, and interests have made me into an individual unlike anyone else. My husband pointed this out after years of watching friends, family, and acquaintances make choices that surprised us. What was right for others would not have worked for us. After years of thinking, how peculiar, my husband and I came the conclusion that we were the strange ones, and we’re okay with that. We see the world from a perspective that is uniquely ours.We aren’t common, and neither is the dandelion.Did you know every part of the dandelion is useful? It can be used to make food, wine, medicine, and dye. Back before the 1800’s, people used to weed out the grass to make way for dandelions and other useful herbs. Did you know it’s part of the sunflower family? If you have a lawn you're probably aware that dandelions have the longest flowering season of any plant.I don’t know if you think of yourself as unique or common, but take a moment to see yourself not as how the world sees you but as how God sees you. David puts it to words in Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Paul also states it in his letter to the Ephesians, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”Don’t fall for the lie that you’re ordinary. There is no other you in the world. So go ahead and stand out, give your unusual perspective in your own remarkable way, and remember you are uniquely uncommon.