My Favorite Bible Passage

    My favorite passage is Matthew 17:20, wherein Jesus explains to his disciples, “…if you even had faith as big as a small mustard seed. You could say to that mountain over there, ‘Move!’ and it would go far away. Nothing is impossible.” (The Rainbow Study Bible, Living Bible Edition)
    
    I love this passage because my grandmother, who raised me, shared this passage with me numerous times at our “tea parties.” She explained that faith and belief would get you anything in life. Faith would always help one persevere through any situation. Faith coupled with belief would always insure a positive outcome.

    I never realized how important the faith of the mustard seed was, until my grandmother died when I was sever-years-old. One of my favorite gifts from her was a bracelet with a mustard seed embedded in it. I often held it and prayed, remembering my tea parties and how I would tell my grandmother that I had “the faith of a boulder.” We would laugh at that and she would respond that as long as my faith was as big as a mustard seed, I would be fine.
    
    After her death, I moved back with my mother, father, and 4 siblings in their dysfunctional household. For me, this was like going from freedom to prison. I had the mustard seed bracelet as a tangible reminder of my grandmother and the promise of the power of faith and belief. This helped me survive my childhood. Also, any good that I do and show has its roots in the unconditional love from my grandmother and the gift of the bracelet and its symbolism.

    As I went through my teen years, I knew the faith and confidence instilled in me as a child would last me my whole lifetime. I participated in sports and beauty pageants where I met many troubled peers. I was able to share my faith with them through the story of the mustard seed. My nickname in junior high and high school became “Preacher,” as people came to me with their problems and I helped them find the answer in scripture.

    Because of my positive outlook, I was popular in school. But I wasn’t popular at home. My sisters called me a “religious fanatic” because I liked to pray about everything. The faith I had made everything come to me effortlessly. Everything I touched turn to gold, so to speak. My siblings were very envious of this. I did not understand where their meanness came from. The meaner they were, the more I prayed for them (because that was the only thing I knew how to do for them). Looking back I realize that I did not feel angry toward them, I simply did not understand where their resentment was coming from. But I felt that my faith would help them through their troubles.

    When my son was born it was a moment I will never forget. I had been earlier told by my doctor that I would never be able to conceive a child due to physical health issues. Holding that bundle of joy reaffirmed my strength, faith, and belief. I have raised my son, from birth, telling him the story of the mustard seed, hoping it will bring him comfort in life as it has me.

    My son is now an adult and his faith goes up and down. He has heard the mustard seed story so many times, if he only remembers one scripture in a time of need, that will probably be the one. We try to leave our children better-off than ourselves and I feel that I have passed-on my grandmother’s wisdom.

    The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the biggest plant. Birds make their homes on the sturdy branches and other animals find refuge in its shade. My grandmother loved birds. In fact we used to play “bird bingo,” where species of birds substituted for the numbers. Who would imagine a mustard seed story and tea parties, passed down from my grandmother, would become the cornerstone of my life of faith and belief.