so big

Saturday, December 8, 2018 (7:03 a.m.)

Holy God,

I had planned to thank You much earlier. Before 3 a.m. to be exact. I smiled so big the moment I walked outside.

Christmas lights on the fence. Stars shining brightly in the sky. All these hours later and my heart still mimics my face. Smiling. So big.

Thank You Father.

(7:33 a.m.)

Mm, yes. Turning in Your Word I read of a mustard seed, “the tiniest seed you can sow” (Mark 4:31, The Voice) being likened to the kingdom of God. “But after that seed is planted, it grows into the largest plant in the garden, a plant so big that birds can build their nests in the shade of its branches” (32).

Peter’s good friend John Mark goes on to tell the Christians in Rome, “Jesus spoke many parables like these to the people who followed Him. This was the only way He taught them, although when He was alone with His chosen few, He interpreted all the stories so the disciples truly understood ” (33).

Illustrated Bible Handbook tells us “that these sayings are designed to hide truth from those without spiritual perception, and that they are carefully explained to the disciples” (Mark 4:1-34). Following a discussion of the Parables of the Kingdom over to Matthew 13:3-50, I read: “3. Mustard seed 13:31-32”.

As a side note; I just took great delight in finding the verse numbers in Matthew 13 being so similar to those in Mark 4. Thank You God for surprising and simple delights!

This discussion of the parables starts off with Expected Form and Unexpected Form. The expected form for the Kingdom is that it begins in majestic glory. The unexpected form tells us “Kingdom begins in insignificance; its greatness comes as a surprise.”

Immediately I think of Jesus’ birth. Thank You Father.

Thank You for the desire You place in our hearts. Desire to know more. To do more.

Thinking of things the size of a mustard seed, I wonder about faith. Both Matthew and Luke speak of Jesus teaching on having “faith as small as a mustard seed” in chapters 17. Matthew in verse 20 and Luke, verse 6.

Luke (17:1-10) shares Teachings about Forgiveness and Faith. The Life Recovery Bible ends a devotional on this section stating, “Faith is a mysterious commodity. Jesus says that if we have faith, real faith, it only takes a small amount to make a big difference.”

Thank You for this reminder Dearest God.

“We may be exercising faith without even realizing it. It takes faith to believe that a Power greater than ourself could restore us to sanity. It takes faith to work through the steps of a recovery program. It is comforting to know that God only needs a tiny bit of faith in order to work in powerful ways to restore our sanity.”

How I thank You that this section on faith (vs. 5-6) is immediately preceded by Jesus’ teaching of the disciples' need to extend unlimited forgiveness to one another (1-4). Thank You Father. Am I correct in relating the ability to forgive with a mustard seed size of faith? I think so.

And then, completely unrelated to Your Word comes another story about this time of year. Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Beginning with the idea that “his heart was two sizes too small” the story continues with descriptions of the Grinch's monstrous antics of attempting to stop Christmas.

Thank You Father for childlike reminders from the Whos down in Whoville who taught the Grinch that the spirit of Christmas doesn’t depend on material things. “And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say - that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches, plus two!”

Faith. The size of a mustard seed. And all this brought on by a smile so big because of a strand of Christmas lights strung on a backyard fence. Thank You God. Thank You for giving us reason to look up into a very early morning’s starry sky.

Use me this day Father, exactly as You know is best. I love You. I need You. I thank You. I trust You. Indeed. Thank You. Amen.

(726 words ~ 10:29 a.m.)