The Mustard Seed, miniscule and yet offering so
much, this tight, tiny seed is filled with potential, and transformative
possibilities.
When I was a child, my grandmother wore a charm
bracelet with a particular charm that captured my attention. It was “the
mustard seed.” I would hold it carefully in my hands in amazement. What was
this treasure? Why? How? On the back of the charm scripture was inscribed. Now,
those words are too small for me to see. They too, carried immense power. They
held strength as the word of God, this Bible verse magically inscribed on this
treasure. So here were two gifts, the mustard seed, and the word.
Reflecting on this verse I was also reminded of
cycles of life, change, and possibility. For years in Massachusetts, many
gathered to pull the wild garlic mustard that has become so invasive in and by
the Charles River and in other conservation land around Massachusetts. We worked to pull this so that the other
plants and the natural habitat could thrive, for this sharp, pungent mustard
had gone astray, and was wreaking havoc everywhere.
But, wait, there is more; it is edible. I was
taken with the idea of this as a green, making a pungent wild mustard pesto,
and I began to experiment. The plant is
high in vitamins, and has a sharp horseradish-like flavor. Distinct from the flavorful Italian pesto
most are accustomed to, this pesto served its own culinary, nutritional, and
social purpose. For in breaking bread and coming together with others to share,
the gifts of this small seed were magnified.
Are we not asked daily to look within our lives at
these small, seemingly insignificant things that are so rich and can offer so
much in healing and transformation?
Simply to notice and to wonder, to listen and to reflect, to recognize
inherent value and to let it be transformed is our task. To see the
possibilities—whether in providing shelter for the birds, or feeding the
hungry. Are we not also asked to do this with one another?
— Kelley Lewis
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