“[A] mustard seed . . . 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.” // Mark 4:31-32
When I discerned that I needed to leave my Army career after fifteen years of service, it stung. People were easily impressed that I was a woman of rank in the military; now, the Lord was asking me to relinquish my superficial identity and embrace a “smaller,” more hidden life. My health had been deteriorating, turning my capabilities into a long list of inabilities, and it was clear that I needed to be more present to my family. Still, it was hard to let go.
I hated how attached I was to my career and title as a measure of worth, so I turned to the Lord in prayer for help. Day after day, I asked Him to open my eyes to His view regarding my God-given mission and identity.
He revealed that while I would no longer serve on the general’s staff, He was calling me to serve Him—the Creator of the Universe—as a Soldier of Christ. Instead of training to protect lives on a physical battlefield, God was inviting me to help save souls on the spiritual battlefield, offering up my suffering for their eternal good and redemption.
Like the tiniest mustard seed crafted to grow and unfurl into the largest of plants, God demonstrated His desire to cultivate the choicest of all fruits from my weakness and inability—not my accomplishments or strength.
God’s grandeur is always most evident in our littleness. His might is made prevalent in our weakness. It is not in spite of our littleness, but expressly because of it that we can become great in the Kingdom of God. Only through weakness can we discover our truest identity as a beloved, dependent child of God—generously invited into the supreme work of salvation with Him who gives us our every ability.
What mustard seed of weakness or littleness are you struggling with? Bring it to the Lord, and ask His view on the matter. Let God give you a glimpse of the greatness He desires to spring from your littleness—and in return, give Him all the glory.
Megan Hjelmstad (“Helm-stead”) is a wife, enthusiastic hockey mom, and Army Veteran living in Denver, CO. After serving fifteen years in the United States Army, Megan now serves the Church as an author, speaker, and women's mentor in her “spare” time. Megan loves to share God’s hope in suffering and is the author of Offer it Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Redemptive Suffering. She’s a long-time team member of Blessed is She and a writer and speaker for several other ministries. Megan adores books, sleep, sunshine, and Colorado’s great outdoors almost as much as she adores Jesus in the Eucharist. Learn more at MeganHjelmstad.com.
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