Originally published Tuesday, 12 November 2013.
Mustard Seeds
A bug recently went through our house. Each of us took our turn with it, manifesting slightly different symptoms. Early one morning, my sons saw me struggling with mine - awful congestion. I reached for my 24-hour Claritin. Before I could put it in my mouth, my preschooler asked to see it. He then exclaimed, "Mommy, it's so tiny! How can it help you?" I had to step in and defend my wonder drug. "Well, Honey, sometimes even small things can be very powerful."
Enter the theological moment. Even small things can be very powerful - Jesus says that's true! Remember his words, "...Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matt. 17:20, NIV). Faith the size of a mustard seed is small indeed; the seed is only 1 to 2 mm in diameter. Jesus is saying there is power in even little acts - like our everyday thoughts, words, and prayers. There is power in our faith to the extent that we allow it to manifest.
Is there an area where you have stopped believing anything will change? Will you allow yourself to believe that God has something great in store? Jesus is challenging us to start taking small steps of faith. He says a mountain can move at our command; consider what you've taken to be fixed and immovable in your life. Remain close to him, and you will see something change. It could be a healing, it could be vindication, or it could be a dream that will be fulfilled.
But that wasn't the only time Jesus talked about a mustard seed. He also said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches” (Matt. 13:31-32, NIV). In other words, what starts tiny can grow into something impressive.
God can take what is pleasing to him multiply it beyond our imagining. Both of these sayings remind me to make sure that my heart is fertile soil for Christ, because no effort of faithfulness is overlooked. Even though growth takes time, when we tend to faith's seeds, something amazing is possible. And by the way, mustard seeds were not the only small seeds in Jesus' day. He intentionally chose a seed that adds great flavor to our dishes. Maybe he wanted our faith to spice up our lives...Sounds like something amazing indeed.
{Photo by La.Catholique at Flickr}
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