A Dandelion in the Spring

It comes from one of my all time favorite book quotes. A quote that ends the beautiful Hunger Games trilogy and one that Suzanne Collins uses to sum up the trials, heartache and lessons learned throughout the three books.

"What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again..."-Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins

The first time I read the ending of Mockingjay, this quote stopped me. It's stunningly shocking sometimes how words can describe emotion so effortlessly. Prior to these few lines, Katniss describes why she let someone go. It was because his "fire kindled with rage and hatred" was not what she needed. She needed the reminder that destruction was not always on the horizon, good can come again. As sappy and romantic as the context of the quote is, the statement Collins is making rings true no matter where you find yourself in life. 

Right now I find myself two weeks out from the greatest adventure I have ever been a part of. On the 18th I'll leave my comfy little life for four months in Sydney, Australia studying at a small, private Christian Arts college. I still have to stop and keep my jaw from dropping when thinking about that. I have dreamed of going to Australia since I was a little girl and my dream of studying abroad began not long after that. Once I learned I could put those two dreams together, the greatest dream of my life was born. And now it is about to come to life right before my eyes. 

I have been doing a lot of emotional preparation as I am a thinker, a reflector. I have spent time thinking back on what God has done in my life up to this point and how it could be preparing me for this next season of life. The last semester was the toughest season of my life. There are no 'maybes' or 'possiblys' about that statement. It's just fact. I found myself broken and down on my knees in silence quite often. So many times I had nothing when I came to the Lord and begged Him to help deliver me. But isn't it funny that God does the most in our life when we finally offer Him nothing. It's as if He's reminding us that there's nothing we can do, so stop trying to bring something to Him. All we can give Him is ourselves. And again and again He does an incredible work with that sacrifice. 

I saw that first hand this past semester as He beautifully transformed so many areas of my life. My faith grew- I learned that God needs me to learn to walk in the dark times of life knowing that He has gone before me. My ways of relating grew- I learned so much about what it means to be there in support of others and how to trust others to be there for me. And I even learned how to love myself- a battle I have been fighting for years.

Finding the good in those trials of the last season of my life are my dandelions in the spring. God knows just the person I need to be for this adventure in Australia. He isn't going to just drop me off there and say adios. He's gone up ahead, He's seen what I will face when I am in Australia. He has spent the past 19 and a half years preparing me for this time. 

That time won't always be beautiful. Growth and change never are. In fact, John Harbaugh said it quite well in the pre game Superbowl show yesterday- "Change forces a person to take a look at themselves, first and foremost". I know I will be taking a lot of long looks at myself this semester. But the same God who helped me stand up last semester and transform me into something beautiful will continue His good and mighty work in this next season. God is the same no matter what continent. 

I have faith that God will continue to place dandelions along my trail of life. They are His reminder that He is making things new, this life will go on and that all is good yet again. Sometimes the dandelions might be hidden where I have to search them out. Sometimes they might be right under my nose. But no matter what, they will always be there. 

And I thank God for that.