One day back when Mom was Mommy, a golden chain winked at me from the corner of her
jewelry box. As I lifted it into the air, a glass locket, set free from the
velvet cushion came to rest in my small hand. A tiny yellow seed rested inside,
so out of place nestled amid my mother’s sparkling treasures.
“What is this?” I asked.
Mom took me onto her knee, sharing the
locket between our hands. “It’s a mustard seed.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Like in the big
yellow bottle?”
Mother laughed. “Grandma gave me this
necklace to remind me of Jesus. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds,”
she said. “But it becomes one of the largest plants in a garden.”
My eyes widened.
“Jesus said that if we have faith as small
as a mustard seed,” Mom continued, “we can tell the mountain to move and it
will.”
That seemed like a lot of power in a
little faith.
The necklace has been lost. But my mother
brought Jesus’ parable to life that day. Even when my faith feels small, it is
enough.
…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. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please take my seed of faith and
grow it into a great big plant with branches, leaves, fruit and deep, deep
roots. Amen.
WHAT ABOUT
YOU? How can you nourish
your seed of faith today?
+ + +
This month the Christian Writers are sharing thoughts about
the theme “nurture” in honor of Mother’s Day. Please click on their links to
the right on the appropriate days and read what they have to say.
I wrote this post to honor my mother and the way her faith has nurtured my own.
What a beautiful memory! Several years ago a bought a similar necklace for a sister-in-law at Christmas. I love what it symbolizes. :)
ReplyDelete@ Pegg - after writing this, I've been thinking about getting myself a necklace. LOL
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the famous mustard seed in a glass necklace...you still see them in Christian stores. I've often pointed out a contradiction to my children - When we can't decipher something small, we bring it closer. But, the events in our life become clearer the farther away we get from them. I appreciate my mother more and more as I grow older, even though she's been gone for many years.
ReplyDeletePeace and Blessings
Cool story Carol !!
ReplyDeleteI'm nourishing today by spending extra time with God... I'm also trying to focus on nurturing the relationships that God has blessed me with... very thankful!!
How cool! Was this an actual event in your life? If so, I'm wondering who has the necklace now. It would be an awesome keepsake.
ReplyDelete@ E.G. Yes, I've seen them online. Have thought about getting one. Maybe I should! Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDelete@ Chris - enjoy the nurturing!
ReplyDelete@ Tracy - yes, this happened but I'm afraid the necklace was lost or stolen some years back. Alas.
ReplyDeleteVery lovely - thanks for sharing the memory.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, Carol. Without that tiny seed of faith, there's not much to nurture.
ReplyDeleteI just thought of something else. Although you can no longer see the necklace, you still cling to what your mother told you, just as we have to do with faith.
I always wanted one of those necklaces as a kid, but never got one. The picture remained in my heart long after, the desire was gone. Thank you Carol for another reminder that from that tiny seed, grows an awesome plant- it certainly does.
ReplyDeleteNow I've got to add that piece of jewelry to my "wish list" LOL
Peace and Blessings!
@ Deborah - that's a great way to think about faith--clinging to what is not seen; but known. Thanks for that.
ReplyDelete@ Terrie - I've been tempted to get a necklace, too. Maybe we could get a group discount!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice memory! I've always loved that parable, probably because my faith has always been so small. The mustard seed gives me hope. :)
ReplyDelete@ SandiGrace - what a joy to watch your small faith grow large!
ReplyDeleteI think as a child I had one of these necklaces, though it has long since disappeared. However the meaning of it still stays with me to help remind me to help nurture my faith to grow big.
ReplyDelete@ Christine - so where do these necklaces disappear to, I wonder. Mom's disappeared, too. Maybe we only get to have them until we understand the parable behind them. :-)
ReplyDeleteWonderful way to honor your mother and remind us to nurture our mustard seed faith, Carol. Sorry I didn't read and comment sooner, but I'm glad I was able to get to it today. I enjoyed this post very much and could picture the scene you described. :)
ReplyDelete