Resiliency: Pushing Through the Cracks of Life 

You may remember holding up the fluffy white dandelion flower and blowing its seeds into the wind while making a wish. As an adult, you may consider the dandelion only a useless weed.  In this series.  I pray this article inspires you as you discover how much you and the dandelion have in common including the gift of resiliency.

Unnoticed, passed by & misunderstood

Perhaps you, like the lowly dandelion, have been unnoticed, passed by, misunderstood, or even stepped on and considered to be a nuisance.

I was! Sentences like “don’t bother me” “I’m busy” and the classic “children are to be seen and not heard” were common in my house. I was told from a very young age I’d never amount to anything.

I remember vividly in 5th grade getting called into the principal’s office with my parents. As I sat there in un-matching clothes, messy hair with eyes bloodshot from a lack of sleep. I wondered why I was there and what I had done wrong.  As I sat there fidgeting, the principle matter-of-factly informed my parents that I lacked “initiative”. Truth be told I didn’t even know what that word “initiative” meant! I only knew I was exhausted from yet another long night of screaming, throwing things and domestic violence.

Looking back I realize how clueless the principle was.  Not only did he not know my circumstances he had no clue that a future powerhouse leader was sitting in front of him.  I believe the same is true for you.

Learning to Be Resilient

No matter what you may have been told or the lies you may have believed I know by the very fact you are reading this now and by what God’s Word says about you, that you are an overcomer, more than a conqueror,  and a wonderfully made, courageous and loving being!

Like the dandelion, you have probably had to learn how to be resilient. You have probably had to push through and survive some very tough circumstances. You have probably seen a dandelion emerging from a crack in the concrete to display its happy yellow flower or fluffy white crown. It springs forth in the most unlikely places and is usually unwanted.

You can run a mower or weed eater over it, chop its golden flower or puffy white head off…but with each attempt to crush it you will quickly discover that any snip, mow or yank will do you absolutely no good. Soon it will reappear in full bloom and even birth an entire family!

Chances are that you too have gone through challenging situations that have required resiliency.  Abuse, domestic violence, divorce, addiction, the loss of a child or a loved one may have felt like your crown was being mowed off and that you would never recover. But by God’s grace, you survived, sprung up and are alive and well.

Applaud yourself.  Praise our faithful God.

The Secret to the Dandelions Resiliency

The first secret to the dandelion’s amazing resiliency is its TAPROOT

The dandelion grows from unbranched taproots that can be as thick as 1/2 inch. The taproot is deep, twisted, and brittle, and usually extends about 6 to 18 inches underground. It is covered with a latex-like coating that keeps pests from harming it. When removing a dandelion if even a small portion of this taproot is left it will arise and regenerate.

I believe taproot is also the secret to our success.

Scripture tells us that we too must be deeply rooted!

“May you, having been DEEPLY ROOTED AND SECURELY GROUNDED IN LOVE – Eph 3:17 AMP (emphasis added)

The Taproot of Love

Our taproot is LOVE. And of course, God IS love. He is the source of our resiliency.

^“Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option.”  -2 Cor 4:8 TPT

Here is what is fascinating: The taproot is one big root but is surrounded by lots of small branches

My sanctified imagination sees those branches as the sisters we surround ourselves with. 

[tweetshare tweet=”Imagine your life rooted and grounded in love and surrounded by precious sisters that collaborate and affirm you instead of comparing and competing with you! – Brenda Byers” username=”@prosperinall”]

I believe that in today’s world collaboration is no longer optional it is mandatory!

Too long have individuals and individual organizations duplicated efforts and existed on minimal resources.

I like the definition of Collaboration found in, “Uniting Our Gifts in Ministry” by Loughlan Sofield and Carroll Juliano

“The identification, release, and union of all the gifts in the community for the purpose of a common mission.”

I believe in this season God has opened a crack, we can press together we can press through and something beautiful is about to blossom. 

I know it may not be easy yet I am willing to seek God, give of my time, treasure and talents and trust that together we will be used as God’s instrument of peace and healing.

With the taproot of love and the branches of collaborative sisterhood, something AMAZING can and WILL happen!

In Part 2 I will share about discovering and using our gifts.