The Faith of a Mustard Seed

In Matthew 13: 31-32, Jesus gave His disciples a parable. In this parable, He states, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come and sit on its branches. “. Jesus also stated this in Matthew 17:20, “He said to them, “Because of your little faith (when they had been unable to drive out a demon). Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to the mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Jesus was and is helping us to understand that we can do great things and can help many people in His name if we even have the smallest amount of faith. It helps me to envision how Jesus called His disciples to follow Him. Here was a Man who showed them wonders and miracles and in seeing all, they followed Him. They didn’t have any idea what awaited them, they simply followed and watched Him. In watching Him, their faith grew. Was their faith perfect? No. His disciples struggled just as we struggle today when we are called by God to do what we may think of as impossible. It reminds me of the Saints that are seen in the Catholic Church. Not everyone understands their purpose for being displayed but here it is. The Saints that we see in the Catholic Church are there to remind us that God calls regular humans to do His work on earth in His name. In other words, He calls us ALL to be Saints. That’s can be a pretty intimidating task sometimes and definitely humbling as well! (Related post: A Simple Kind of Love)

So what did I learn from this? I may not understand His purpose now, but I know He will reveal it to me when He knows I’m ready to receive it and learn and grow from it. My faith grows more substantial when I put it into practice. It’s like the crazy trust exercise where you turn your back on a group of people then fall backward and hope they catch you. However, with God, I already know that He will catch me! Also, each time when He catches me, He lifts me higher than I’ve ever been before!!

What can you gain from this? It can be scary to trust in someone that you can’t see but it doesn’t mean that He’s not there. God will give you what you need, then as you grow in your love and confidence with Him, He gives you more. Then you can take what you’ve learned and help others to grow as well. Remember that a tree doesn’t just grow fruit to look pretty, it’s there for our and others’ nourishment as well. (Related post: A New Chapter in the Book of Life)