After a long winter, I am so grateful for spring and the beautiful weather we’re having this summer. Flowers are in full bloom, filling the air with beautiful scents. A few months ago, when the weather was acting bipolar, someone posted a photo on social media sharing that she was super excited to see dandelions. I remember when I was a kid, I would bring my mom bouquets of dandelions. Of course she accepted the gift with great joy. When I got older, I realized I had been giving her bouquets of weeds.

In life, I think we sometimes settle for the dandelions in our lives because they’re the first to pop up. After a long stretch of waiting for something to come along, we get tired of waiting, so we take the first thing that comes across our path. If we’re single, we take the first “decent” guy or gal that comes along instead of waiting for the real beauty that is coming. In work or sports we accept the first contract that is offered or agent that talks to us instead of making sure both will be beneficial and in line with our values.

It’s hard to wait, especially when we don’t know the arrival time of the thing we’re waiting for. It can be really frustrating to know that our timeline and God’s timeline are not the same (Psalm 90:4), but we can still trust God and His timing. Dandelions pale in comparison to the tulips and daffodils I’ve seen around town and the lilacs I remember smelling in my backyard as a kid.

Athlete, let’s wait for the beauty God has planned for us and not settle for the dandelions that spring up around us.

Prayer to consider today: Lord, I know I have settled for many different things in my past. I wasn’t patient enough to wait and see what You had planned for me. But not now. Lord, I trust You and Your timing. I trust You for the things I am waiting for, and until they come along, I will press into You and find my satisfaction in You and You alone. In You, I lack nothing.

Reflect: What are the dandelions you’ve settled for in the past?

Challenge: Think through the things you’re waiting for now. Write them out. Pray over them and trust that God will provide them or even something better in His time.

Outreach Challenge: Think of someone you know who may need some encouragement. Write an encouraging, anonymous note and stick it on the windshield of his or her car. If that person doesn’t have a car, think of a sneaky way to get the note to him or her.