What is that Mustard Seed like, Anyway?

Many of us have probably heard this statement of Jesus’s before:

“Truly, I tell you, 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.”

I’ve often met this quote from Matthew 17:20 with a discouraged attitude. Faith as small as a mustard seed can do that? Man, my faith must be smaller than a grain of salt, then. But on Friday I had the opportunity to hear a new perspective on this verse while attending a writers’ retreat with my mom.

Have you ever been curious enough about the actual mustard seed and the plant that grows from it to do some research on the topic? I haven’t. Instead, I got to benefit from listening to someone else who had looked into this tiny seed, and I learned a bit of information that has opened my eyes about this matter of faith. Then I looked up the information she shared so that I could pass it along to my readers.

Here is what ehow.com says about growing a mustard tree (or shrub, as I think its actual horticultural categorization would call it):

“The mustard tree originates from Persia. It grows best in hot, dry climates. The ideal soil for the mustard tree is sandy and well-drained. The mustard tree can grow in U.S. hardiness zones 7 to 11. Humid temperatures and climates may stunt the growth of the tree or cause mold problems.”

The same website notes that in caring for a mustard tree, “The tree does not need watering, nor does it require many nutrients for healthy growth…. The fruit should be harvested as soon as it is ripe.”

This tiny seed that produces a tree that grows best in what sounds like a desert, is stunted by humidity, doesn’t need to be watered, and has its fruit picked quickly represents faith that can move mountains, according to Jesus. What does that say about the sort of “climate” that my faith needs in order to grow?

Dry. Hot.

In other words, uncomfortable. I’ll be the first to admit that the second things become unpleasant I am running to God asking Him to fix it. Put the temperature back to about 72 degrees Fahrenheit, please, and make it just moist enough that my skin doesn’t dry out but not so much that I feel sweaty sitting still. Thanks.

This would kill my mustard seed faith. My growth would be stunted. I would have “mold problems,” whatever that might translate to in this metaphor.

God knows how to grow faith and ripen its fruit. He knows that I won’t depend on, believe in, and learn to trust Him if life gets too comfortable. He knows that dryness makes me run to Him to quench my deepest thirst. He knows that as soon as fruit is produced in me (perhaps love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, etc.? See Galatians 5:22-23), it must be picked before it rots and is no longer good for food; then more fruit can grow in its place. He knows what I want, but He also knows what I need.

Whatever the question is, He knows.

And when I trust Him to lead me through the desert, faith grows just a little bit stronger in me, and God is free to make forward progress on the masterpiece He is crafting.