Most Christians are familiar with Jesus words, “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).  Somehow or another I came to the understanding that Jesus was describing the size of a mustard seed (very small) instead of the characteristics of the seed; yet as I was typing this verse from the Bible (ESV), I began to grasp a different understanding of what He was saying.

In another instance when Jesus was teaching through parables, he explained, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard see that a man took and sowed in his field.  It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” (Matthew 13:31, 32).  With this parable, He describes these very important characteristics of a mustard seed—they are tiny but also have the potential to grow huge where one plants and nurtures them; and in doing so, they take on sustaining characteristics.

I am inclined to try to figure out if I have faith, or even enough faith, for God to hear me based on the answers (that I recognize) to my prayers or financial prosperity in my life.  The life of Paul teaches something completely different, though.  It was the grace and mercy of God that turned him from a persecutor into an apostle.  God did not punish him for unbelief, in fact in his letter to Timothy Paul wrote, “I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:13, 14).  God so graciously steps in and supplies the faith we need; we get to decide where we are going to plant it.

Faith in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:5) grows as we feed it with Bible reading, praise, and fellowship (Romans 10:1:17, Romans 4:20, Hebrews 10:23-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11).  I have come to realize that there is a big difference between believing in God and having faith in our loving, omnipotent Creator.  I am also learning to, like the apostle Paul, “fight the good fight” of faith so that I can get into the mainstream of His power.  Granted, we are “in” because the Holy Spirit dwells in us, but I have found certain limitations to His power existing in my life.

Good indicators of the progress we’ve made in this fight of faith are our attitudes, our words, and the way we treat others.  In an atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving, there is no room for anxiety (Philippians 4:6); and when we cast all of our cares on Him, understanding that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7), we have no reason to complain.  Our words often reflect our attitudes, though, and I had a bit of a wake-up call last week after I responded to one of my sons’ posts on a social media site.

He announced that he will have to travel to Japan next month for work and I immediately responded with a frowny face.  I do not like that he has to travel so much; so much time in the air, away from his wife and two small sons, and me thinking what a hostile world we live in now.  I picture a flash of light, shooting an arrow into my heart and my mind as the Holy Spirit questioned, “Do you trust me with your children?  Do you believe I am directing their paths?  Do you believe that your son has a relationship with me? [Resounding ‘yes!’] Then why do you burden him with your fearful reaction?”  I immediately had to remove my response to his post.  My daughter went skydiving today and you have no idea how difficult it was for me not to strongly point out to her that she has responsibilities to consider; yet how can I assume that this “risk” was not a path of God’s choosing for her?  I trust her commitment to Him and His guidance in her life.  My oldest son is heading back to Afghanistan next month; I do not like it but the bottom line is God is good, He is faithful, and I am an incredibly blessed momma because all of my children are serving Him.

The truth is we have the capacity to affect people by our angry, complaining, or anxiety-ridden words.  I do not just want to try to be better and talk better, I long for God to change my heart.  This happens as I come to Him in repentance and choose to take the necessary steps to grow in faith, in grace, and in the knowledge of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Paul parallels the growth of faith to the increase of love between believers when he wrote the Thessalonians:  “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

There is no doubt that the genuineness of our faith will be tested by trials (1 Peter 1:6, 7) and we will have plenty of opportunities to grow.  I love the counsel given by Jesus’ brother, Jude, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.  And have mercy on those who doubt…” (Jude 20-22).

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer!”  Psalm 19:14