Small Seeds

Jesus often taught using parables, and in his parables, he teaches us that God’s kingdom is like the slow growth of a mustard plant. It is like a seed that someone planted in the ground and it sprouts on its own. It begins small, inconspicuous and almost unnoticeable – but also unstoppable!

Sometime back, at Wednesday night dinner, we had a guest come from our local school district to talk to our church us about a mentoring program for children in our county who are homeless. Some of these children are literally living in cars – others living with someone other than mom or dad. But all of them are surviving well below the poverty line.

We learned about how, in these mentoring sessions, we would be listening to the children – and talking about things like sports and fashion. Our guest told us that at first, it can feel pointless. We might even wonder what difference this makes. And yet, all the results show that children who have these mentors – children who simply have an adult in their life who cares enough to show up – these children perform better in school. And they are much less likely to have disciplinary problems than those students without a mentor.

This just reminds me that a lot of times we don’t realize what kind of impact we are having on people. Small seeds can make a huge impact.

Mother Theresa offers us that brilliant glimpse of hope that lies in little things: “We can do no great things, only small things with great love. It’s not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it.”

I wonder what kind of seeds you are planting in your own life. I wonder what kind of seeds God is calling you to plant. Whatever they are, I pray that you would sow generously.

Let us pray: Loving God, today, help us to do one small act of kindness for others, and help us to do it with great love. Amen.