“He told them another parable: “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 seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches” –( Mathew 13:31-32)
The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds there is, about 1-2 millimetres. In spite of that it is noted that it can grow to a twenty feet tree. “Often, mustard trees have many branches that start to grow from the tree trunk low to the ground. The mustard tree can grow wide and tall,” a writer has pointed out.
The significance here is that for the mustard tree to grow one has to first sow that little seed into the ground. This too is true of many other plants that yield great trees- Mango, Avocado, Jack fruit -they all start as small seedlings dropped into the ground. Once cultivated well they bloom into giant trees of the forest.
In the above verse Jesus used it to refer to how the kingdom of God grows from a single step of faith. But the same message can apply to many other areas of life. For one to progress at school and eventually attain a degree it all starts with enrolment in primary one. Builders of any house start by laying the first bloc. The mustard seed story has been linked to revolutions which started with one shot fired. The Chinese say, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step at a time”!
The scriptures say “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6, ESV). Today, you could be nurturing a big dream, perhaps too terrifying to imagine, in its sheer breadth, strength and power, as you envision it once full blown. The Lord is telling you to have the faith like of a mustard seed.
To realize that tree of your dreams you must go out and sow that little seedling. Do not lie back, hoping that the tree of your dreams will just appear out of the wild. Nor does it help to wonder how come that there are other mighty trees in other people’s garden! It all starts with just one seed sown into the ground, a step of faith in action that yields into a powerful garden.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, as with the mustard seed, today I take that step of faith to sow a seed of faith, assured of your blessings, that it will grow into a full tree and wonderful garden of my dreams, this I pray in Jesus’s name.