Mustard Seed Gratitude

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~4 min read

Hi! Welcome to Well Lit Soul where we seek God, face darkness, and shine brighter. Today’s blog is called: Mustard Seed Gratitude.

Matthew 17:20 says:

“So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as 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’.” 

The fuller context of this passage shows Jesus speaking to His disciples after He heals a young boy with epilepsy. The boy’s father initially went to the disciples for help, but they were unable to cure him. So he brought his son to Jesus who cured him within the hour. When the disciples saw that the boy had been healed, they asked Jesus why they couldn’t heal him. And Jesus responds with verse 20. In short, their lack of confidence, trust, and overall faith limited their ability. Yet,  if their faith was as small as a mustard seed, they could’ve moved mountains. 

Re-reading this passage made me think about other elements of Christianity that may seem small. The bible speaks explicitly about faith here, but another component of my walk with God that often falls short is gratitude. 

I’ve had an interesting relationship with gratitude in my life. For so long, it seemed very forced. I’ve always been aware of how much I have to be thankful for in life, but meditating on those things seemed like a check box rather than a sincere feeling. Particularly during the times when my light was dim, and I was fighting to stay alive (physically and spiritually), gratitude was so far from my mind. It felt deeply obscure to focus on what I had to be thankful for when I was drowning and all I could really think about was getting air and staying afloat. 

Well, after eventually finding dry land, I started working to regain my light and began shining sincerely. And then it seemed like all I had was gratitude. Abundant joy from all of the blessings in my life. It seemed like every moment all I could think about was thanking God for everything He had given me.

And while these days I tend to live closer to the full gratitude end of the spectrum, I know that can change over time. We’re not always at the top of the mountain or in the depths of the valley. More often than not, we are somewhere in between. Psalm 22 is a great example where you see David experiencing those highs and lows all at once. 

As I enter a new season of transition in my life, I’m aware that challenges will come again. And knowing my old patterns and ways of thinking, I recognize that when the challenges settle in, gratitude is the first thing I forget. In part because of the checklist feeling, but also because I’m more focused on sorting through the problem, finding solutions, and getting the work done to fix the issue. My eyes are no longer on the prize, they’re on the problem. The prize was, and will always be, alignment with God. Knowing that His abundant and gracious love is with me in the storms. And He is using the storms to build my trust and faith in Him. So instead of hurrying to solve the problem and turn on all the lights in the midst of the darkness, I have to focus on how I can grow closer to God in that time and meditate on the lessons He wants me to learn from this storm. And knowing that His peace and comfort abounds at all stages in the journey. 

So if we go back to the garden metaphor, if I have weeds or pests in my garden, or it’s not growing the way I want it to, I could pour all of my focus into removing the weeds and pests, or fixate on what I could build or buy to support the seeds and soil. And no one would blame me. But, I could also look around and think about how grateful I am to have a garden to even tend to. That God allows me to be a part of His circle of life. 

To be clear, it takes time to get there. Deep and abundant gratitude does not arrive overnight. So in the meantime, work on mustard seed gratitude. Focus on the lessons God is teaching you. And observe how those learnings influence your light. Even if life doesn’t feel good in this very moment. Even if you’re focused on surviving your very next breath, it’s alright. I believe that if you have mustard seed faith and mustard seed gratitude, over time, you will see that God has a plan and that He is taking care of you. And He will provide the light you need in His perfect time. 

Connection Question: What is your experience with gratitude? How has it changed over time? And how do you practice it today?