It Grows

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.” He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.” Luke 13:18-21

JUST AS THE JEWS of Jesus’ day wanted the Kingdom of God to come triumphantly and comprehensively in one swift show of power and transformation, so we tend to want the reign of Christ to come into our children’s lives triumphantly and comprehensively in one swift show of power and transformation. But this isn’t how his Kingdom comes into the world, and it’s not how his rule and reign comes to our lives or the lives of our children. It starts small, like a tiny seed that requires nourishment and light to grow. It begins almost invisibly, doing its work from within, like yeast. The Holy Spirit works through the Word to make a dead heart come alive, and over time, that radical inner change works its way through the whole person. This means we, as parents, have to be patient. It means we should not be surprised that our children are not now everything we long for them to be.

And it should also fill us with hopeful anticipation of all King Jesus will do over the course of our child’s lifetime. Just as the impact of yeast on dough will be comprehensive over time, we can be sure that what began as something small and almost imperceptible in the life of our child will grow and will one day be complete. The grace of God will have its full effect in the lives of our children, changing them from the inside out. “The Lord —who is the Spirit —makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Lord, how we long for your Kingdom to come in our home and in our lives! We want to see and experience more of your justice, more of your mercy, more of your wisdom, more of your ways. And it is coming, though often not as quickly or comprehensively as we might like. Would you give us patience with ourselves and with our children, the kind of patience a farmer must have after the seeds have been planted and the kind of patience a baker must have after the dough has been kneaded? Thank you for the grand privilege of watching your Kingdom grow in ________’s life.