Sometimes if we are too hardheaded to let God's angel thoughts really sink in, something jarring may happen to bolster our faith. There was a time when I was fearful about the future. Elliot and I were suddenly forced to move from our comfortable home in a forested community where we'd spent a wonderful three years on the Occoquan River. With two months to find a new place, pack up and move, we were trying to fully rely on God for guidance. The old was passing away and it was time to embrace a new flow.
A prospect synchronistically unfolded to move to a different part of Virginia. While waiting for the details to coalesce, I began to worry. With so many variables, how could it possibly work out? In the waiting process, anxiety stirred while fixing sandwiches for lunch. I made a big mess when I grabbed a large jar of mustard from the fridge.
BAM!
The 2-lb. jar slipped through my fingers. It hit the kitchen floor with a powerful FORCE. The lid shot off!
Suddenly cold brown mustard splattered my face, my left ear, and hair, and down the front of my shirt. The ceiling and cabinets were brown speckled.
Knowing there are no coincidences, I wondered, Why a mustard bath?
Later that day, I read Jesus’ words about faith in a book called The Spiritbuilder:
"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." (Matt. 17:19-21)
I thought about the imagery of a tiny mustard seed and the mountain as a metaphor for whatever obstacle to face--a health crisis, a relationship, financial stress. The mountain seems very solid, as it looms before us, impossible to move.
Obviously, I needed more faith. If I were relying on my own power, no wonder I worried. The image of a mountain represented my fear that was stealing my joy. A little faith as tiny as a seed of a mustard was the answer.
So rather than fear our future, I worked on having faith, trusting God. If doubt would creep in, I would remember that chilling mustard bath.
Before long everything came together in divine order. We moved to a lovely home and we're on our way to a new chapter in the journey at Virginia Beach, a city where we continued to stretch and grow over the next 11 years.
Today, I can't reach for a jar of mustard, at home or at a restaurant, without remembering the faith of a little mustard seed.
Enjoy your day with the Angels. Why not choose faith...
Love and joyful blessings,
Rae Karen
(photo from the web)
