Dandelion     

We watched as two-year-old Joshua toddled across the yard, swaying this way and that as he attempted to keep his balance. His eyes were wide with excitement as he took in all the wonders of the back yard. It was no surprise at all when he lost his balance and landed on his bottom. He looked up as if to ask, "What happened?" Laurella looked down at him and smiled, and he smiled back.

It is then that Joshua lets his eyes focus directly on a dandelion growing right in front of him. He reaches forward and wraps his chubby little fingers around the stem and pulls. "Pop!" The head of the dandelion comes off and Joshua holds his new prize high in the air for everyone to see.

The dandelion is an interesting flower. By some it is seen as a beautiful plant; by others it is nothing more than a pesky weed. The easiest way to get rid of it is to pluck off the head. The problem is that it just grows right back. I'm told that if you really want to get rid of it you have to dig it up by the roots.

Sin is a lot like a dandelion. When we first see sin it usually looks attractive with its bright yellow color and soft appealing design. When we decide that we want to get rid of it we suddenly realize it's not as easy to get rid of as we thought. In fact, the longer we allow sin to rule in our lives, the deeper the roots grow.

The only way to get rid of sin, and dandelions, is to kill the roots. You have to go right to the core of the problem and destroy it.

Joshua wouldn't have known how to kill a dandelion even if you gave him a million dollars. He needed help. The same is true for us when it comes to sin. We can't kill sin, we need God's help. God can uproot the sin in our lives and stop it from spreading.

Romans 6:7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.