"For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20b
Have you ever seen a mustard seed? Have you ever held one in your hand? They're not much bigger than a large grain of sand, but when they take root, the growth of that one tiny seed is unbelievable. The mustard plant is HUGE! It's quite the reversal, I tell ya...
The smallest things really do matter, as I'm certain you already know. To illustrate, let me tell you what happened to me one day as a kid. I had a skateboard (like all my friends did), and I decided that I wanted to go riding in the street one day. It was an average act on an average day. Literally, nothing special was going on. However, I was suddenly stopped by something so powerful that my board literally just froze underneath me... I, however, did not stop moving. I flew. And, in my opinion, I did a pretty decent Superman impression. I landed and scraped my forehead, hands and knees, and was bleeding from everywhere. It was not fun. And my childhood friends back on East Street would agree that the picture of that moment was not a pleasant one.
But the thing that stuck out to me is what I ran into that caused the major change. I thought for certain I had hit a boulder or a pothole that I failed to see. But it was a pebble. Actually, a piece of broken gravel. It was so small, and it literally made me laugh to think about how something so very tiny and insignificant could stop a 13 year-old child on a board with four wheels, moving pretty quickly on a slight downward slope (and I was no small child, mind you). I laughed all the way home, limping with my board in hand. Then my amazing mom took care of me, and all was better... one of many times throughout my life, to be sure. If you've ever ridden a skateboard, the same has happened to you at least once, and it was probably just as shocking.
Let's put that into this context now, and think about how the world openly attempts to run over us all. The world challenges everything that Christians believe, telling us that there are multiple ways to Heaven and that we should not put all our faith in one basket, as it were. It is a big, monstrous machine that never stops rolling... until my mustard seed gets under its wheel. And I am one of many people who will proudly stand for Christ and proclaim with all my might that I shall NOT be moved.
Christ tells the disciples (and us, too) that we can move mountains with our faith. I would love to think that He means we can literally have Everest dance, but I imagine the abstract and parable-esque meaning is that we can surmount obstacles of any size when we use the faith we have inside us. For some people, like me, it is simply a matter of seeing what is there in order to make it grow.
Take a moment today to ask Jesus to show you your mustard seed. For some folks, just seeing the small amount of faith that is there can spark growth and inspiration. From that growth comes the mustard plant, and then the faith that we all seek becomes a real and awesome feeling that we can no longer ignore. It literally takes over for us, guiding us and directing us... and correcting us when we know we're wrong. Look at your mustard seed today, and honor the Lord by letting it flourish to the fullest!
God bless you all!!!
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