The Stone and the Dandelion

     The stone in the garden plot looked around and frowned. "Here I sit, stuck in this one spot in the soil. I can't do anything. How can I be of use like this?"   
     A few feet away, a dandelion is remorseful. "My pretty yellow flower has faded and now all I have is this 'fluff' that blows away with the wind. How can I be of use like this?" 
     What the stone didn't know, was that very morning the gardener would remove him from his spot and place him with other stones to form a wall for a new vegetable garden. 
     What the dandelion didn't know, was that a great wind would blow through and would scatter the remainder of her fluffy seeds, sending them twirling in the breeze to great heights. Like tiny umbrellas they'd float through the air, then land in new places she'd never been before. There she would grow and thrive. 
     Sometimes when we look around we may feel we are stuck in one spot, too. God has a purpose for things like rocks and dandelions, but we are His most precious creation, so imagine the purpose He has for us?
     In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus tells us how much God cares for all that He has created; feeding the "birds of the air," for example, or "clothing" the Lillies of the field. Jesus says that we are worth so much more to Our Heavenly Father than those.  
     So the next time you feel stuck in one spot, have faith--and patience.  You never know just what plans God might have in store for you!