Are you a weed?

Are you a weed in someone’s life? Has anyone ever said you are useless, unproductive, a waste of time and energy? Have you been called ugly or prickly? Perhaps you’ve felt ripped up at the roots and discarded as waste.

Spring is my favorite season. It’s a time when temperatures approach near perfection. Flowers glow brightly and skies turn a beautiful hue. Baby blue eggs begin to hatch and bunnies romp around like crazy. Windows are open all night long. Bullfrogs and crickets lull me to sleep, and chirping is my alarm clock.

But it’s also the season where dormant weeds pop up, frustrating homeowners as they strive for photo-worthy beauty in their gardens and flowerbeds.

Tonight, as I walked through a field dotted with dandelions, a thought stopped me in my tracks. This field is blanketed with weeds. Weeds that stand taller than all of the grass around them. Weeds that bloom bright yellow followed by whisky white tufts. But, these weeds have immense value. I don’t mean the thousands of wishes one could make with enough robust breaths. I mean tangible value.

Dandelion greens can be eaten cooked or raw and serve as an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K. They also contain vitamin E as well as several minerals, including iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. They also contain antioxidants and serve as an anti-inflammatory. Chickweed gives you a boost of vitamins A, D and C, as well as iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and zinc. Finally, red clover provides calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, and vitamin C.

But this isn’t a lesson in physical health. No. This is a lesson in self-worth. Someone reading this believes he is a weed with little to no value. Someone stumbled upon this post believing she may not serve a purpose in the lives of those around her. Another feels out of place, a stranger in a foreign land, one that just doesn’t seem to fit in. When you look at a lawn, it’s the weeds that stand out. They are awkward, non-conforming, and sometimes they sting you with their prickly edges. So we’ve been trained since a young age to rid ourselves of weeds. But it’s not the grass that contains such rich value, it’s the weeds.

I was reminded recently that Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matthew 6:26) And David reminds us in the Psalms that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made!”

My friends, you have worth. You have a purpose. And yes, you might even feel like a weed, but remember, you have value.

Be like the dandelion. 
STAND OUT. STAND TALL. 
BE BRAVE. BLOOM.

Are You a Weed? originally appeared on NathanClaycomb.com. Like what you’re reading? Subscribe today and join me regularly #fromwhereIsit.