It was such a tiny seed. He looked at it and pondered. How could such a tiny thing ever amount to much? Why, you could blow it out of the palm of your hand without much effort at all. It was inconspicuous, minuscule, insignificant, and unimposing. The people of the world thought nothing of it as they trampled on by in their feeble trances.
It was just another grain of dust and nothing more, but that grain began to take root, and the people of the world began to take notice. It sprouted and spread. It entangled the soil with its greater and greater roots. It overshadowed the people with its greater and greater branches. Its branches began to block the sun, and people began to cower in weakness. Soon, the people were utterly defeated and enslaved. They could not function as they plodded along in the darkness.
There sat another seed in the soil of their hearts. The tiniest of the seeds, it was inconspicuous, minuscule, insignificant, and unimposing. Some took notice, and decided to nurture it. They watered it and fed it. They cared for it lovingly, and it began to take root. At first its growth seemed so slow until one day something miraculous happened. It put out a shoot that shot straight up. That shoot pierced the darkness of the branches overhead, and at once a beam of light began to shine through.
When the light entered it was overpowering. So much brighter than before, the light that pierced the darkness began to overtake it. The leaves of the dark plant began to whither, and its branches began to fall. The soil that it once found fertile could no longer sustain its existence and the once great and mighty plant tumbled to the ground.
Jesus said as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’ and it will move.” By the same token, I would propose to you that there is another seed that has great power as well. That seed is the seed of fear.
Fear cannot exist in the presence of faith. The bright light of faith will overpower the darkness of fear any day, any time.
Which seed to do you feed? Which seed do you nurture? Is the soil of your heart fertile for one and not the other? What are you allowing to take root? Intrigued? We will continue in part 2.
