"when [the kingdom of God] is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." (Mark 4:32)
We plant seeds in the young ones among us, and we hope that they will cause them to grow in the Spirit. Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which starts out as the smallest of all seeds but then grows up and becomes one of the greatest of shrubs (Mark 4:31). Our faith may be small now, but we know that with time, if we give it the right nutrients, it will grow like the seed of a plant does in the field. When the harvest comes, we want to be able to show that we are growing fruit (or corn, or beans, or whatever the plant is meant to grow). It is okay that we are starting out small right now. It is only the spring. We are still learning, and we rely on God’s grace when we make mistakes. But if we do not give the seed what it needs, good soil, sunlight, and water, the seed will not grow. If we place the seed in the forest with so many other thoughts around it, it will not grow. The same is for the seed of faith in ourselves. The Holy Spirit is here to help it grow. The Spirit wants to enable us to plant this seed in others. It may stay unrevealed for while, but one week it is planted, and the next week, if it is free to grow unhindered, it will blossom into the magic of a green plant. Be assured; when you trust God, God will help you grow. It is okay if you do not remember the whole Bible from Sunday School; if you remember how the people taught you to live, and the spirit that Jesus taught you to live by, God gives us a promise: “in our doubt, there is believing; in our life, eternity, unrevealed until it’s season, something God alone can see.” Trust God. God will see you through. Thanks be to God. Amen.
