The Power of Small

Artwork: Cara B. Hochhalter, A Parable – The Mustard Seed

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” my teacher asked. I, then quite small in stature and abilities, with eyes wide open, a mind filled with imagination, and a heart still close to its originating Heart of creation, shimmered with wonder. My dreams could be.

Fast forward to today. I’m not that little girl with the fullness of becoming before me. I’ve grown quite a bit, though with my last doctor’s visit I learned I have lost 3 inches of height. Much of what I dreamed has been tried; some longings realized, others abandoned for whatever reason. And now not only my size but my older brain and life-scarred heart have me open-eyed to the limitations of my little human life.

 Reflecting with this week’s gospel parables about seeds of possibility sown in faith* I feel a stirring again of that little girl’s wonder. Maybe God’s not done with me yet. I am listening for the new movement of the Spirit in this season of life, my own and our times.

Jesus equates the kingdom of God with what happens when we embrace our smallness and commit to the word of God seeded in our souls and among us. That involves trusting that our little lives are an integral part of God’s remarkable dream of life and beloved community. A dream often manifest in quite everyday and unexpected ways. We will know and others will know our purpose by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5: 22-23).

So I begin again this day. Cultivating the soil in prayer. Welcoming my smallness. Listening to my surroundings for the Spirit’s invitation. Having faith that the mystery and largesse of God is always turning the world’s stature on its head, wanting to grow us and realize possibility beyond our imagining.