Mustard Seeds

May 2023

“For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

(Matthew 17:20-21)

Recently I attended a group and we were talking about resilience. The group facilitator had researched words that were, in a sense, descriptors of resilience- the first set of words more focused on the head and mind, the second set of words more focused on feeling and inspiration. 

The first set consisted of words like competence, character, coping, control, backup plans, handling rejection, self-control, problem-solving, self-care, mindfulness, purpose. The second set contained words like gratitude, spirituality, joyfulness, curiosity, adaptability, hope, faith.

As we talked about resilience, my attention kept returning to the word purpose. If that first set of words was more about developing resilience by surviving, the second set of words struck me as more about THRIVING in our resilience, flowing with and through challenges, remaining grateful and joyful. I could envision that word purpose as being the bridge from surviving to thriving, and hope and faith the undercurrents that propel us forward continually into that thriving state. 

I thought about how hard it has been since my Mom passed away. Grief is really tough and unpredictable, and it comes in waves. There’s so many passions I have, and things I want to do, and sometimes they become eclipsed by the grief and I have to start over. Faith, for me, is the undercurrent in my life. Faith has always been there, buried at times, but ever-present. Faith has been the undercurrent that has carried me, sometimes multiple times a day, over the bridge of purpose, from surviving to thriving. 

Faith and hope feed each other, and each grows as the other thrives. They are complementary. I have faith in God. In every circumstance of my life, He has been walking beside me. He has been in every joyful moment, and in every Gethsemane. He knows suffering, and goes before me in it. I can look back over my life and know that faith is rooted in the evidence of an unwavering, loving God entering into every moment with me. I have hope because I know that today and every day in the future will also be touched by God’s love in my days. And even if there is suffering, I can do more than survive. I can thrive! 

That bridge of purpose is the best way I have found to get from surviving to thriving. My purpose has always been taking the hard times and turning them into ways to help others. We can apply this bridge of purpose to anything. All we need is that tiny mustard seed of faith, hope, purpose, motivation. Jesus told us that if we have that tiny mustard seed, we can move mountains. Nothing will be impossible for us. 

What moves you from surviving to thriving? What is one small change you can make, or step you can take, to move further along that bridge from surviving to thriving today?