For a long time now I’ve assumed, based on Matthew 17:20, that my faith is pretty pitiful. Not even a mustard seed’s worth. That scripture suggests that if my faith were as much as even a BB-sized seed, I could move mountains or cast mulberry bushes into the sea. And I can’t. Goodness knows I’ve tried.
It’s long been a discouragement.
And then I heard Susie Larson talking about planting apple seeds. She talked about how one seed produces a tree with, say, 100 apples. And each of those apples has multiple seeds with the capacity to produce another 100 apples. And so on and so on until you have millions of apples.
And just like that the light bulb lit! I had been focused on the SIZE of the mustard seed and had overlooked the fact that it’s a SEED. What do you do with seeds? You plant them.
In other scripture Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. It’s something tiny that grows into a tree as much as 20-feet tall and almost that wide.
So, in order to move mountains, it’s not about summoning up a tiny seed’s worth of faith. It’s a question of where I plant what faith I have. Jesus didn’t say the mountain and the mulberry tree would move TODAY.
I do have a seed’s worth of faith. Lots of seed’s worth of faith. And I can plant them wherever I go. At work, in the community, among friends and family. And some of those seeds will take root and eventually produce fruit. And then their seeds will do the same. And so on until mountains have shifted and entire forests have been cast into the sea.
Like so much of what I learn on this journey, it’s not about me. My role is small and often goes unnoticed. But taken as part of God’s glorious, intricate whole—it’s integral. Planting seeds matters.
Come sow with me. Nothing is impossible.
…and so, the mother is taught by the child. Thank you. 🙂
Or by Susie Larson if we’re going to go with the seed analogy!
Great way of looking at a verse that’s always seemed so daunting! Shared on twitter.
On Mon, Feb 18, 2019 at 7:47 AM Sarah Loudin Thomas AUTHOR wrote:
> Sarah Loudin Thomas posted: “For a long time now I’ve assumed, based on > Matthew 17:20, that my faith is pretty pitiful. Not even a mustard seed’s > worth. That scripture suggests that if my faith were as much as even a > BB-sized seed, I could move mountains or cast mulberry bushes into ” >
Thanks! Sometimes it takes me YEARS to feel like I’m even beginning to understand what Jesus had to say!
I am just like this, looking at the size of the seed. Thanks for showing me a different way ie the right way. It is unreal how much I am learning about things I have read almost my entire life and never made the connection. Thank God that He doesn’t give up on us.
I know what you mean! It amazes me how a bit of scripture will feel like a closed door for years and then BOOM. Insight. Clearly, it’s not something I figure out!
I recently created a photo with a mustard seed AND a tree in the “scripture photos” I make, but even doing that, I’ve never thought of it that way. What a wonderful insight.
I’d love to see that image!
On my screen, it’s the 3rd row down, middle photo. Hope you can view it on here? https://www.flickr.com/photos/kiminwnc/sets/72157674277585918
Beautiful. And I LOVE the one with the yoke!
Thank you. I attempt to make one every month so at years end I have a calendar for the following year.