The Mustard Seed of Faith

“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,

or what parable can we use for it?

It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” // Mark 4:30-32

My first post-college job was at a newspaper, and each week, I did a “Man on the Street” series. A photographer and I would approach people in public places and get their opinion and picture to run later in the week.

I was still learning how to be a “faith-filled” person living and working in the real world. How vocal would I be about my own experience with the Kingdom of God? I was a twenty-year-old, born and raised in a strong Catholic family. But did I need to advertise?

Sharing anything faith-related felt scary to me.

The photographer was a woman a few years older than me. She was also Catholic but no longer practicing her faith. We talked about faith here and there, but I admit trying to hide my light under a bushel so that I wouldn’t seem weird.

This weekly experience lasted for a few months and we each moved. About ten years later, I ran into that woman and she looked completely different—happy and deeply joyful.

“I know you didn’t talk about it a lot,” she told me, “but your faith inspired me.” Because of our time together, she said, she started going back to Mass and found her way into a deeper relationship with God.

I was blown away. I held back tears. Even in the midst of almost hiding my faith, God found a way. The mustard seed of truth was still able to be planted because God is so much bigger than my human weakness.

Years later, I have now tasted so much of God’s goodness that I can’t help but sing. As today’s Psalm says, I want to proclaim God’s marvelous deeds, singing a new song to the Lord (see Psalm 96:1, 3). 

The Lord doesn’t need us to do His work, but I’m humbled that He allows us to be a part of it. He invites us to share his goodness to the people He loves so much.  

Lord, please continue to give us the freedom to share Your goodness with those around us! You are so good; Your deeds are marvelous indeed.