Mustard Seeds

Currently I am working through a devotional book titled "Birds in My Mustard Tree" by Susanne Scheppmann. I have had the book for quite sometime, tucked away on the bookshelf, waiting for me to finish all the other books and projects on my list. What initially intrigued me about this book was a challenge to grow my faith. Many days I feel I am no where near where I should be in my desire to become more like him and to be able to come into a deeper, closer relationship with Him. Other things seem to always get in the way. I wonder why I have a hard time trusting and giving things over to God. I wonder why I can't give all my fears, anxieties and worries over to him and leave them at His feet. I have recently come to the conclusion that I have an awful disease that prevents me from placing all my trust in Him.

Its called forgetfulness.

I forget all that He has already done for me. I forget all that He has walked me through. I forget that so far He hasn't disappointed. I forget that anything that life throws at me...I will be able to handle because of His promises to me to never leave me or forsake me.

Hebrews 11 gives a beautiful account of what I want my faith to resemble. Abraham's faith was incredible. Why? Well He didn't get there in one giant leap that is for sure. He took it step by step and God increased his faith just like he desires me to do.

One step at a time.

One step...

First, Abraham was called to go to a place where he had no idea he was going. he just went. Then, he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country...lived in tents and all the while he looked forward to the city with foundations , whose architect and builder is God.

and then another step....

Now imagine you and your spouse are way past your prime with no children of your own but God enabled you to increase your family while increasing your faith. This was Abraham and Sarah's story.

and yet another....

Then Abraham answering God's call to sacrifice His beloved Son, trusting that at just the right moment God would provide the perfect sacrifice instead. God didn't disappoint and a ram was provided for the sacrifice.

He didn't take a giant leap to the top of the staircase of faith. He took it step by step by step. Trusting in God, who had walked him through the trials in his past, all the while increasing Abrahams faith that was once as small as a tiny mustard seed. Each trial in his life provided food and water to that mustard seed to make it grow. God grew that faith one incident at a time...one step at a time.

Perhaps the reason I feel my mustard seed of faith is not growing is because I worry too much about what is to be instead of feeding my faith on what has been and how he carried me through. Maybe I should stop look around and see the gift in each day and thank God that I have him to shoulder my burdens. For where would I be right now....

Without hope...
Without my faith as small as it may be....
Without God's perfect sacrifice....
Without Him....???

I cannot even imagine and I thank God I don't have to. All I need is that one tiny seed and he promises to make it grow when I feed it with his word.

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, 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