Daily I complete what feels like a zillion, small tasks in hopes of making a significant difference in the lives of those around me. I put a whole lot of faith in the belief that I am doing the right things as a parent and wife and accomplishing all the roles God calls me to fill. Most of the time, I do not experience the euphoria of success, in particular when it comes to being a parent.
My kids torture one another. My little darlings fight over the MOST RIDICULOUS things. They forget stuff I consider important, like homework or chores. They treat our home as if is their personal dumpster to discard shoes, socks, food wrappers, soda bottles, and empty cups wherever they please. It is enough to make this mama’s heart hurt and ask, “Lord, am I doing anything right?”
In Matthew 17:20, when the disciples weren’t sure if their faith was enough, Jesus reassured them by saying, “…Amen, I say to 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. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (New American Bible).
All too often, I feel like saying, “Lord, I’ve got all kinds of seeds planted. When am I gonna move those mountains?”
I guess we have to consider what a “mountain” looks like because sometimes they aren’t as big as we expected in the beginning.
God gave me a pretty sweet mustard-seed moment earlier this week and it came in the form of a “mountain” I had been praying to move for quite some time.
Hubby and I took the kids with us to pick up his truck from a diesel shop that was 45 minutes from our home. Our three minions managed to antagonize and abuse one another for the entire drive. After an embarrassing vehicle pick-up, thanks to my kids pushing and fussing as the mechanic tried to talk to hubby and me, we headed to get some lunch. (We were ALL hangry by that point.)
When we arrived at the restaurant and ordered our food, there was no change in their behavior. They were still obnoxious.
Hubby eventually asked them, “What do you get out of fighting all the time?”
I just kept my head down and ate my sandwich, because I have asked the same question at least a million times.
My snarky 13-year-old replied, “We don’t fight all the time, just two days ago, me and Maggie got really mad at each other and then I apologized to her and she apologized to me.”
My recently fuming Maggie piped up, “Yeah, we did. We said we were sorry and then we watched YouTube together.”
And it was like someone flipped a switch. They stopped fighting for the rest of lunch. (Mountain moved.)
Somewhere along the line, the seed had been planted to apologize when you hurt someone else and somehow that tiny seed took root and actually produced moments of decent humanity in my children. Because of that mustard-seed moment, my faith was revitalized, and I got to witness my husband actually smiling as we shared a meal.
The Intentergy challenge for today may be a big one, but I need you to keep your eyes peeled for those mustard-seed moments. Be on alert for glimpses into great things you have cultivated through kindness and faith in something bigger than yourself. Cherish those moments and take pride in the “mountains” that are moved because you made a difference or believed in making the world a better place. You never know the impact the right intentions can produce with a positive purpose.
By: Melanie A. Peters
P.S. Only God could have put that much potential in a seed so small. Be sure to share your mustard-seed moments!
Works Cited:
New American Bible, A Saint Joseph Edition, Catholic Book Publishing Corp., 2011.
Intentergy 