Many years ago, at the end of service, the pastor of my church said that he had a gift for each of us. The ushers then handed out a small, amber-colored glass vial. It was no more than half an inch in diameter. Inside, there appeared to be a tiny grain. The pastor then revealed that he wanted to give each of us a mustard seed.
I was amused by my inability to recognize what was in my hand, given the setting and the fact that I’ve spent many years and countless hours in church. I’ve heard the referenced biblical scripture countless times: “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" (Matthew 17:20 NIV).
I’m sure that the pastor said something very wise and metaphorical about the mustard seed that now eludes me. When I look at it, I’m still surprised at how small and unassuming it is – even fragile. Maybe it’s because I have big ideas and big dreams so I want the mustard seed to be grandiose in some way.
But then, I’m reminded that every big thing is made up of many small things. For the musician, every performance is the result of hours and hours of practice that begins with tuning an instrument and playing scales. Before the FIFA World Cup, there’s the athlete competing and practicing for years and starting out their workout regimen with a stretch. Prior to the published book of 80,000 words, there’s the writer living in obscurity (or even absurdity) researching her topic and making little notes in her phone or on paper napkins. No goal is accomplished and nothing big happens without being committed to small, and seemingly insignificant, things that must be repeated over and over again without applause, without mention and mostly going unnoticed by those around us.
There’s a lot that we can do if we have a little faith. That’s what that lil mustard seed is saying to me when I look at it from time to time. Because faith requires action, we have to start somewhere - complete a scale, a stretch or a word.
This is how we move mountains and realize that nothing will be impossible.
I’m sure that the pastor said something very wise and metaphorical about the mustard seed that now eludes me. When I look at it, I’m still surprised at how small and unassuming it is – even fragile. Maybe it’s because I have big ideas and big dreams so I want the mustard seed to be grandiose in some way.
But then, I’m reminded that every big thing is made up of many small things. For the musician, every performance is the result of hours and hours of practice that begins with tuning an instrument and playing scales. Before the FIFA World Cup, there’s the athlete competing and practicing for years and starting out their workout regimen with a stretch. Prior to the published book of 80,000 words, there’s the writer living in obscurity (or even absurdity) researching her topic and making little notes in her phone or on paper napkins. No goal is accomplished and nothing big happens without being committed to small, and seemingly insignificant, things that must be repeated over and over again without applause, without mention and mostly going unnoticed by those around us.
There’s a lot that we can do if we have a little faith. That’s what that lil mustard seed is saying to me when I look at it from time to time. Because faith requires action, we have to start somewhere - complete a scale, a stretch or a word.
This is how we move mountains and realize that nothing will be impossible.
