Season 2: (Episode 35): Dandy as a Dandelion

What if the thing people overlook… is actually the thing God is using most?

In this episode of Change Chasers, we unpack the powerful, faith-filled symbolism of the dandelion—a plant often dismissed as a weed, yet packed with lessons on resilience, purpose, and persistence.

If you’ve ever felt overlooked, stuck in hard conditions, or unsure how God is using your life—this episode will remind you: you were created to grow, thrive, and spread impact right where you are.

Let’s stop chasing comfort… and start chasing change.

#ChangeChasers #FaithInAction #ChristianPodcast #PurposeDrivenLife #KingdomMindset #SpiritualGrowth #FaithOverFear #ResilientFaith #SpreadTheGospel #RootedInChrist  #DandyDandelions

Faith in Action // Change in Motion

Transcript

0:16

Well, hey, hey, hey. What's up, Change Chasers? Welcome back. Y'all, here we are, another podcast episode. Season two is off to a really great start, I feel like. I hope that you guys are enjoying the content and all the stuff that the Lord has just kind of given me. I feel like are some really cool ideas, and maybe the episodes are just for me, and that's okay too. But I wanna say, hey, friends, thanks so much for the gift of your time today. I'm still Mandy, and I'm still playing this host gig thing and just having a blast, hopefully bringing some value to your life. So, thanks for the gift of your time today. As you know, in the Change Chasers podcast, all the things are about personal growth and how we can live in purpose and being able to step into everything that God has called us to be. So with that, today's episode, maybe it's gonna be a little bit different of a topic. Maybe it's something that you don't know a whole lot about, but I do hope that it's going to be a sweet but also powerful takeaway for you, uh, because y'all, we're gonna be talking about something that most people don't talk about, and that is dandelions. And so I don't know where you live, if you're in other countries. It is a small little flower that has a green stem that will grow a yellow flower to start with, and then as it grows and it gets a little bit bigger, the yellow flower will burst into a white puff, and it has these little seeds on it that almost kinda operate like a parachute because when the wind comes and blows, it will blow all of those seeds and scatter them. And what's some really cool facts about dandelions, y'all, is they can travel up to about five miles away, and they will replant themselves so they continue to scatter, spread seeds, and then are self-planting if the soil is right. But as we'll talk through today, that they can even grow, like in little cracks on the side of the road or- Maybe in a sidewalk, maybe even in gravel or in your patio area. So I know they're kinda annoying for some people. I look at them endearingly. I just am drawn to dandelions. I think it's probably the initial yellow color when they start coming. And even though they'll grow all over my yard, I'm just so rejoicing because that means that spring has sprung, and that the winter months are going to start being behind us. And so, um, we'll talk more about dandelions throughout the episode, and I'll give you some more fun facts. But hey, we can be dandy as a dandelion per se, if you might be willing to embrace that as the mantra of this podcast, and that I'm hoping that for here on out, the rest of your life, maybe when you see dandelions, then you'll look at them in a different way. Because the world's gonna call them a weed. A lot of people that I know are gonna call them a weed, right? But y'all, if it is up to us how we decide we want to label something, just as maybe people throw a label on us that we do not necessarily want to be called, that we are like, "No, I'm a son of God," or, "No, I'm a daughter of God." And so we get to choose what label we receive, right? But thinking about possibly just join me with a little bit of fun of the idea that we can be as dandy as a dandelion. I'm gonna tell you why. You ready to keep listening? We gotta listen fast, 'cause y'all know me, mouth of the South coming in hot with this microphone, and it just makes me talk even faster. So with that said, let's jump right in. Hot take number one is you can grow anywhere. So friends, this hot take is about resilience and roots. I wanna hit you with this thought. Your environment does not determine your growth, your roots do. Dandelions, the flower, they do not wait for perfect soil. They do not wait for ideal conditions. Nope, they simply grow Where they're planted. They grow in cracks. They dro- they grow in dry ground. They grow in places where nothing else can survive. And I stop and I think about, that is a word for somebody right now. Maybe I'm that somebody, but when I stop and I think about how, man, we can grow through what we go through, whew, praise God for that. Of just knowing that even if you, sweet friend, on the other side of this, you're listening, and maybe you've been in a waiting season, and your waiting season, you're ready for your right now season, though. Can I get an amen, right? You're waiting for the right opportunity or the right support system or the, "Hey, right now I need this, this, and this to line up and happen," because in the waiting, I'm worn out. You know? I mean, that's somebody's real reality today as well that is listening, but I know that God is faithful, and I know that God is saying, "Grow anyway. Grow anyway." Ephesians 3:17 talks about being rooted and grounded in love, and I think that that really truly can mean that your strength isn't coming from what's around you. It's coming from what's within you. If our roots are deep in Christ, then y'all, we can handle pressure. We can handle drought, so to speak. We can handle opposition. As change chasers, I wanna encourage you with point number one of just embracing the mindset for resiliency, is that we don't have to wait on perfect conditions, that we can grow even in imperfect ones or even in our seasons of waiting. Hot take number two. Bitter seasons build strong faith. Mm. Now, if you're in a bitter season right now, you might want to, you know, throat punch me or kick me in the shin, and so I'm glad we're not in close proximity as you're listening to this. But bitter seasons, y'all, that's sometimes, that is how we can build our strong faith. Because I truly do believe that quote, that what we go through can either make us bitter or it can make us better. We get to decide, right? We can decide whether or not we're gonna be old, grippy Gus or, or tore up from the floor up Henrietta over here in a bitter woe is me season, like Eeyore. Or we can say, "No, you know what? I'm gonna draw a line in the sand. I'm gonna step over that line, and I'm gonna have, I'm gonna have strong faith. I'm gonna trust that I'm gonna be better in this season, through our circumstances." I believe it's all about perspective, 'cause I also know that not every season is sweet. Not every season feels fruitful. But I have learned in my own life of living that I do recognize that every season has its own purpose. Even the relationships and the friendships that we have throughout life, they serve a purpose, right? I, it's so sweet to think about those folks that come in our lives for that quote, that for a reason or a season, or we're lucky for those especially that come for a lifetime And so I just think how cool it is if, you know, we'll be willing to embrace a perspective of that there's purpose, right, in every season. In regard to a dandelion and thinking through, you know, that as being our topic of conversation today, that I don't know how much you know about dandelions, but dandelions are actually known for their bitterness. Some scholars even will believe and say that they are part of, bitter herbs that were used during the Passover representing the hardship of slavery in Egypt. I don't know that, but people that are way smarter than me that are called scholars, that's what they say. And so, man, y'all, if we stop and we just think about that, we can just also recognize that God didn't remove the memory of the struggle. He used it as a reminder. And so if for those of you that are listening today, that maybe you're in a bitter season right now, maybe stuff has just not went your way and you feel like you are drowning. Last week we talked about, um, you know, Kelsey, the girl that went rowing and how she was in the ocean all alone, but we made the reference that we don't have to go through the storms of life and all of the struggles and all of the waves crashing and all of that. Y'all, we don't have to do those things alone. But I also recognize that we're all not in the same season of life. We're all being affected by what we go through. And so maybe you're listening, and I recognize that maybe there's some things that haven't gone as planned in your life. Maybe there's been some people who have let you down. Maybe you've experienced some doors being closed. Maybe you've experienced some doors not being opened, and you're still just like, "Here I am. I'm standing in the hallway, ready to walk through that door when it's open," right? The door of opportunity, the door of what's next. And so I do wanna say, wherever you're at listening, you're not alone, that I do truly believe with all my heart that God is faithful and that He is with us. Even in the hard and even in the hang-ups, I do believe God is still holy. And so I, I hope you'll hear me when I say that God wastes nothing. He wastes nothing, friends. The bitterness, it's building perspective, it's building endurance, it's building dependence on Him. So don't run from the hard seasons. I encourage you, let them refine you. Hot take number three: you were made to spread purpose and impact. Y'all, that's a big one because if you ever really stop and you think about a dandelion, I've kinda already shared a snippet of this, but when a dandelion is blown by the wind, it scatters. I also think about, I don't know if you did this when you were a kid or if you're even like me and you did this just last week, you pick up a dandelion when it grows in your yard, and you huff, and you puff, and you you blow that dandelion, and it goes scatter, scatter, scatter all over your yard. It's pretty cool when you stop and you just think about how... I think it's pretty majestic. It's pretty rad whenever I realize, as I studied up on dandelions for this episode, is that smaller dandelions can have, like, 10,000 seeds. But really big puffs of dandelions, y'all, they can have 20,000 seeds. And so every seed almost has, like, this little covering on it that it almost treats it like a parachute. And so when it catches the wind, it is gone, baby. And it is flying free. And like I said, I mean, some dandelions can even travel up to five miles. Now, I don't know how statistically accurate that is because I don't know who and how they ever figured out that a dandelion went from, you know, mile one over there, somebody's yard, over to this field and, you know, uh, five miles away, but I'm just gonna trust the professionals. But when I go and I just think about the gift of seeing a dandelion as more than a weed, I see new life and growth. Because whenever a dandelion gets relocated, because it's not meant to stay in one place by the way that it's created, it's self-sustaining. It spreads itself to continue to multiply and grow to be bigger and better, and also have offspring. A dandelion goes to seed, and then what happens, y'all? It gets carried away, and it gets planted somewhere else. I think that's the sweetest gift because that can also be coinciding with the thought process of that's just like the gospel. That when we're willing, we have growth within us, and then we share it, we spread it, so to speak. It can be our story as well. That can be our testimony, our growth, and our own transformation. And so it is not just for you. What we go through doesn't have to just be locked in just for us. It can be a process of thinking through the gift of us being able to just choose to believe bigger. Remember we talked about that in last week's episode, believing bigger, that God is using your life to impact people that you may never, ever meet. I know there's people that are listening to this podcast in other countries that I'm never going to meet this side of heaven. And so for you also thinking about, like are you being willing to allow Father God to be who is carrying you, so to speak, spreading you, scattering you into his next best yes for you? And if you are, that spreading does require surrender. And so having a heart posture of obedience and surrender can be a game changer. It sure can bring a lot more peace into your days, too, and ask me how I know. But also just thinking about, y'all, we don't control where the seeds go. We just have to trust that God is using them. And so the reference of that, of course, is we, can't control what's gonna happen when a dandelion gets spread out. Like, it's gonna cover your yard, and maybe more are gonna pop up overnight. But what about also allowing the Lord to use us to help us to grow and to be women and men of God who, as this hot take says, is that we're made to spread purpose, right? And also impact, and just thinking through that, hey, man, we can continue to be change chasers who do not hold on to purpose, but we choose to release it That leads me to hot take number four, which is persistence is power. I want you to say that out loud. Persistence is power. Mm. Y'all, let's be real for just a second, though. Also, I recognize we're talking about dandelions today. They're hard to get rid of. You can cut them, you can pull them, you can try to eliminate them, and what happens? Mwah, they come right on back, right? That's the kind of faith, though, y'all, that we need. We need the kind of faith that keeps showing up, the kind of faith that doesn't quit, the kind of faith that grows back stronger, because life is going to hit you. The storms are going to come, and you're gonna be knocked down, dragged out and spread thin, right, so to speak. That's real reality. We've all been there and done that. We've lived in some tough stuff. But we also know, even in the setbacks that we are going to face, we all know that we've experienced disappointment, but the moments that we go through can also be the momentum that we need for the movement in our own lives to be able to continue to have stronger faith, to have stronger belief that we can continue to grow through what we go through. And so thinking about persistence, I truly believe that true persistence is what separates people who start from people who finish. I hope you heard me say that, friend, that true persistence is what separates people who start from people who finish. Do you wanna be known as a finisher, somebody that seals the deal and complete? Bam, boom shaka-laka, let's go with that mighty leader, that servant of Jesus, that go-getter, because, you know, everybody wants to do life with people who do what they say they're gonna do, right? And so being people who finish I know, though, that sometimes the struggle bus is real. Sometimes what we go through might make us feel a little stifled, a little bit slowed down, and things seem to be going snail slow pace, right? Y'all, your fate doesn't have to be perfect, but it does need to be persistent. Persistent just like a dandelion, because God will use what others overlook. Most people see a dandelion as just a weed. We've said that already, right? As something unwanted. But God sees purpose even in the overlooked, just as he sees purpose in you. I wanna encourage you to remember that your feelings are fleeting. Your feelings are fleeting, so don't let them control your future. Choosing not to live a life of shoulda, coulda, wish I woulda moments, instead choosing to trust the Lord. Trust is process, and as I've said before, let today be day one instead of the life mantra of, "One day I will get to that," or, "One day I will do that." Instead, y'all, how fun and productive could it be for each of us individually to embrace the growth track that, kinda like the dandelion, maybe even wink, wink, saying, "Hmm, I wanna be as dandy as a dandelion," as a simple little flower, a weed, as some will call it, to just simply refuse to give up. And maybe you haven't ever thought about that, and probably not, because I know most people don't think the way I think. But I've been thinking about this since April, May, something like that, when the dandelions started growing in my yard, and I just kept seeing them. And I, I just started asking the Lord, like, "Father God, why are you allowing me to notice the dandelions? I've never really noticed them before in an endearing way." So I started just checking out facts about them and all of that. And then, of course, Ella Langley, she is country music sensational female star right now, and she's just top-notch. Her music is wonderful and excellent, and she's got a song, um, called Dandelion. I think her album might even be called that. So maybe you're a country music fan, and maybe you've heard that song and, and I guess maybe I saw that and it just made me start noticing dandelions. But when I just think about how a dandelion can grow almost anywhere, even through cracks in concrete, as scripture tells us in Psalm 92:13, that those who are planted in the house of the Lord, that they shall flourish. Mm. That's so sweet. So grateful for that reminder, because what looks like one flower is actually made up of hundreds of tiny ones, and God is doing more in you, sweet friend, than meets the eye So even when the wind blows, it doesn't destroy the dandelion, it does spread it. And so what feels like pressure in your life might actually be God multiplying your impact. Go read John 12:24. It's a great verse to go along with that thought. But every part of the dandelion I wanna share with you today Has a purpose, has value, y'all. It can nourish, heal, and bring life. And so when I just stop and I think about all the ways that a dandelion can be good and healthy for a human's body, a person, male, female, young, old, y'all, it's pretty, it's pretty remarkable actually that even in the small moments, in the littlest, tiny little seeds, that that little plant, a dandelion, can be... Its roots can be really helpful, but also, like, y'all, it has digestive aid that it can help. It's rich in vitamins A and K and E, has iron and potassium in its roots and its leaves. Its flowers are used to support liver health, reduce inflammation, manage blood sugar, lower cholesterol. I mean, it can even help with what I call swelly belly as an antioxidant and a diuretic. I mean, come on, sign me up. I mean, hey, if you see me out in public and I'm sitting over there chewing on a dandelion, then hey, you know why now, right? And you can just mind your business or come see me and I'll share. In all seriousness, though, like, they're pretty remarkable. It's a pretty cool, powerful takeaway that I hope that you've learned a few real-life application things about how we can see even in the world just label something as a weed, something so insignificant, that God is so faithful. He specializes in using what others overlook. So friends, if that's you and you're in a hard season, then I say, let me remind you, you are not alone, that you are seen, you are valued, and you are loved. I wanna encourage you, continue to bloom where you're planted, please continue to trust the process, and please continue to let God use your life to spread something eternal. Hot take number five, I wanna encourage you, will you please follow the Son, S-O-N? This one might be my favorite because y'all, we're better whenever we're pursuing after Christ, S-O-N. But a dandelion, it follows the S-U-N, sun, and it closes up at night when the sun goes away, and it's so cool because that's actually its way of being able to protect itself. But then yet whenever the sun comes back out, it literally responds to the light. As believers, I think we're called to do the same, that we trust God is going to be our shelter, our provider, our strong wing, so to speak, that He comes in and He will protect us, He will guide us, and He will keep us against damage and harm. And that we can continue to trust him through all things, but also, y'all, of realizing that we are called to turn to the Son, to Father God, to Jesus. And so it makes me just stop and think about our focus. And so I don't know if you really wanna hear this. Hopefully, I'm not stepping on too many toes today. I do wanna encourage you, though, if you've been caught up in a hot mess express moment, maybe you've been driving that bus for a while, and you've been like, "You know what? I am in this season of waiting, and I'm wounded, and I'm tired, and I'm weary," I wanna sweetly remind you, friends, again, you are not alone. God is faithful. And that, hey, what are you learning? How are you growing through what you're going through? Because I do know for sure that what has your focus has your future. And so thinking through that, I wanna encourage you that if you constantly focus on fear, unfortunately, you'll live anxious. If you're focused on comparison, then you will live insecure. But y'all, if you fix your eyes on Jesus, then everything changes. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord, right? Everything changes when we focus on Jesus. We keep our eyes on him. He is the author and the perfecter of our faith, as scripture reminds us. So I wanna encourage you to allow your perspective to be shifted, allow your priorities to be in alignment with Father God, and allow your purpose to be his, because whenever you do, mm, it will become clear. As change chasers, I want to sweetly remind you, encourage you, but also challenge you, friends, we do not chase distractions, because y'all, that is not who God has called us to be, as sons and daughters of him. We are to follow the S-O-N, the Lord Jesus Christ, because we know that he is forever faithful, and he will never leave us, and he will never forsake us. I hope that you're tapping on your steering wheel now. If you're driving down the road and you're giving me a good little tap, tap, tap, amen. A to the men on that, right? Friends, I'm gonna put the shut to the up on this episode. I do wanna say, though, as I close out, that whatever you're going through- That I do hope that you don't label yourself in any type of negative way. You know, people have labeled the dandelion as a weed, but as we've talked through, it's got some pretty remarkable ways of being helpful. Every part of the dandelion is usable, even the roots. That taproot can grow 15 feet deep, y'all. So that's how it's sustaining itself for continued year after year perennial growth. And so friends, we can truly grow through what we go through when we stay so deeply rooted in Father God and allow ourselves to be loved by Him, even if we're growing through the hard times, the hard places. I do want to just always, always encourage you, stay persistent, right? Choose to say, "You know what? I am going to continue to be who I am called to be." And maybe even embracing one of my favorite new mantras, sweet friends, that we can be as dandy as a dandelion. I don't know. I mean, maybe that might just be something that you will join me in embracing. I do hope that this episode has encouraged you. I hope that you'll share it with someone who may need some words of encouragement or affirmation of like, "Hey, I see you. Keep on keeping on. You're doing great things for the outbuilding of the kingdom, and God loves you." And also, maybe it'll even be a way that you can love on your friends and say, "Hey, you know what? You're as awesome or as dandy as a dandelion." Friends, thanks again for the gift of your time. I'm gonna close out now. And as we say on every episode, let's keep chasing change and living with purpose. Goodbye, sweet friends.