“I tell you the truth, 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.” Matthew 17:20
The mustard seed serves as an inspiration to me. When I begin to pray and talk with Christ, a bond of love and friendship forms through this simple act. My desire for a relationship is like a greeting to His heart, and sends the Holy Spirit to sit with me in prayer. The Holy Spirit calms and restores me, bringing peace to my soul. It pleases Him to spend quiet moments with me.
Faith begins with a simple desire to grow closer to our Lord. A relationship with Christ—like all relationships—may take time, and we can be disheartened if we believe our faith is insignificant for our desires. Your faith may feel small at times, especially when you are weak or vulnerable, but your desire to be more faithful is, by itself, very pleasing to Him.
Jesus compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a tiny mustard seed. If you have never seen a mustard seed before, you will be amazed at its diminutive size. Yet, though having some of the smallest seeds, the mustard plant grows to a large magnitude, providing shelter for the birds.
Jesus said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
In time, your mustard seed of faith will grow like the parable. Soon, your faith will be a twig, then a plant, then a small tree, and finally a large tree. Your relationship with Christ will be a bounteous flora, where the small “birds” of children and grandchildren and perhaps even great-grandchildren will make their nests in the shade of your deep and abiding faith. Believe and know this is true!
Study the mustard seed. Learn about its amazing qualities. Then practice this type of faith. God waits to grow you bigger than life.
Sharon Cece is an internet staff writer and frugal living columnist who’s writing has appeared in AchieveYourCareer.com, The Cleveland Post, Factoidz, Flask and Pen Literary Magazine, Airborne Magazine and the Raleigh Examiner. A 2006 graduate of Florida State University, Sharon is also the author of a children’s book and the editor of a book of quotes. She lives near Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two children and believes that faith is the greatest gift a person can receive and share. Read Sharon’s devotions.