Gardeners, (and you know who you are), what is one of the best things about January? Don't say ice storms, down time or frozen weeds, please. Say, seed catalogs! We avid gardeners look forward to this time of the year to relax a bit, and soak up the sun in the seed catalogs. Jackson & Perkins catalog day means a time to investigate the new plant varieties, enjoy green photos when the outside vista of my window is still brown grass. I love to admire new varieties of vegetables and imagine an okra plant that is 5 feet tall! Can my mind take in the notion of zinnias the size of my palm! Then, I dream of a tomato with a bright pinkish red hue and an acidic bite! That tomato variety is called "June Pink." June Pinks are so sought after that true tomato lovers save the seeds and start them in February…timing is everything in the world of seeds! So in cold, frozen, icy January the gardener dreams of June and sees beautiful gardens of the future! And Spring!!!
Now, carry this dream farther. Think of the mustard seed. Here is something I found out: of all the herb seeds in the world, the mustard seed is the smallest. If you are familiar with seeds (I'm sure most of you are bored by now, but humor me a little) you might know that most seeds correlate to the size of the final, grown plant. Radish seeds are tiny and so are the vegetable radishes. Corn seeds look like corn kernels and produce a plant that may have 5-6 ears of corn with hundreds of kernels on each cob. Think about an okra seed…the same size of the seeds you pull out of an okra kernel, yet each seed can produce an okra plant several feet tall, covered with okra pods. Tomato seeds look a little smaller than the seed you see in the tomato fruit. But not mustard seeds…they are itsy, bitsy, like grains of salt. And this is the amazing part: the mustard plant is the largest plant of all the herbs in the garden. It is large enough for birds to land on and to build a nest in!
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32
So don't feel sorry for the tiny mustard seed. Not only does it grow to be a huge plant, but the flavor is big, too. You could probably do a blind taste test and recognize its flavor. Mustard enhances everything. And it doesn't carry the down side of being "sugary" or sweet. There has never been a diet known to man that excludes mustard! No fat, no sugar, just flavor!
So how does this compare to our faith? What does the parable Jesus told mean? Our faith does not have to be huge. We do not have to be Moses or Billy Graham, Abraham or Ruth. We can be ourselves and still be listed on the wall of faith. It can be the size of the mustard seed and grow into a large gift to honor God. The seeds of our faith can grow and multiply to fill a field. A tiny faith can fill a room, a palate and a lifetime.
Why would God present us with this dilemma, parable, mystery? Because our God is one of surprises, oddities, contradictions and miracles! Faith is a miracle! Can we explain it, dissect it, write a poem about it, sing about it, dream about it? Yes and no, it is faith. It defies definition. That is it! That is all we need to know. Believe! Claim the dusting of the mustard seed in your life! Then plant it and wait for the harvest!
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
Pray: Father, do not let our struggle to define faith keep us from living it every day. We claim the "mustard seed" of faith given to us to grow the giant plant of joyful living You promised. Amen
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