Food

Food

“You didn’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Matthew 17:20

My family has this running joke about mustard. I like the plain variety, but everyone else in the family (my husband and three sons) likes Grey Poupon. So I shop for both kinds and try not to take it personally when they call mine the “sissy mustard.”

Here’s a life lesson you can teach your kids the next time they squeeze mustard on a hot dog: Even though the mustard seed is extremely small, the mustard plant can reach a height of fifteen feet. From the seeds of the mustard plant we can make a sauce (plain or spicy) to use on our favorite sandwiches.

When Jesus lived on earth, he taught his disciples spiritual truths by talking about everyday things. Mustard came up several times in his teaching. In Matthew 17 Jesus grieved over the lack of faith he saw in his disciples and told them that if they had faith as small as a mustard seed, they would do great things for God.

Great faith has very small beginnings. It begins with opening ourselves to God. When we come to him and expose our dark hearts to the light of his grace and truth, the roots of our lives are forced down into the soil of his amazing love. Then, miraculously, just as green shoots of the mustard plant come out of the ground and grow to heights of four to fifteen feet, we see shoots of faith—maybe even large ones—appearing in our lives.

Father,

Thank you for teaching us big lessons through small things. May we place our faith in you and see growth take place in our lives. Amen.