Reflection - The Dandelion

As a child I used to get so excited when I saw the dandelion. I used to rush to it and delicately pick it from where it grew, careful not to brush it against anything. Then I used to blow the seeds off, chanting "He loves me", "He loves me not", until my last breath where I would hope against hope it fell on the turn of "He loves me".

Recently, when I saw a patch of these dandelions growing in the hedge, my mind wandered to God and I smiled and thought "I know God loves me"… It's interesting, as I considered this, it occurred to me that the very breath that once told me "He loves me", "He loves me not" is the very breath that now always tells me "He loves me."

The Hebrew word 'ruah' is used in Scripture to describe the Holy Spirit; and this word 'ruah', in its primary sense, means 'breath'. The Holy Spirit is the breath of the Almighty. When Jesus knew he was going to be leaving this world, he reassured his followers, saying "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God." (Jn 14:16-17). God's love for us is so great, so lasting, that He sent us his only Son, and in turn His Son gave us the Holy Spirit - to guide us, to be our companion, and to be our constant reminder that He loves us and will be with us always.

So I don't need to rush up to the dandelion and chant my wishful words - I already know that with every breath "He loves me."

Written by Clare Gilmore