Mustard seed-sized faith can make the impossible possible. Nurturing it involves leaning into Jesus Christ, even when life’s challenges seem insurmountable.
By Shawnda Stovall
The Bible says we can move mountains if we have faith the size of a mustard seed. If you placed a mustard seed next to a mountain, you wouldn’t even see it. The imagery still makes me chuckle.
A mustard seed is an amazing little thing. These tiny little powerhouses are so minuscule that you’d barely notice one in a bowl. Yet when planted, a mustard seed grows into one of the largest garden plants. That’s a perfect metaphor for our faith. Despite its size, the little seed embodies resilience, potential and unstoppable growth. With Jesus at the center, even the smallest spark of our faith can ignite life-changing miracles.
“When the world tried to convince me of my limitations, I held onto the unseen promise of God’s power.”
Shawnda Stovall
I keep a mustard seed in a tiny jar that I carry in my pocket. On days I face challenges, I stick my hand in my pocket and touch it as a reminder that no matter what difficulties I may face, when my faith is planted in God, it grows into something mighty. What happens, though, when life throws you a challenge so big that it literally knocks you off your feet?
In 2014, I went blind and was paralyzed from the waist down. It was unexpected. I wasn’t sick. I had no warning. Just boom. After a whole bunch of testing, poking, prodding and exams, the doctors came in my hospital room in front of my family and friends and told me I would never walk again. That was impossible, I thought. God had already given me a different vision—a vision of me walking, dancing and living fully. In that moment, I looked at the doctor and said, “I don’t receive that. God showed me I would.” The doctor patted me on my legs, then responded: “OK, that’s between you and your God.”
A friend called the crisis “just a test of my faith.” I told her, “No, it’s proof of my faith and who I say I am in Christ.” Not every bad event is a test. Sometimes, it provides proof of the faith we say we hold in Jesus. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It’s one thing to praise God when the sailing is smooth, but true faith is forged in the storm.
When the world tried to convince me of my limitations, I held onto the unseen promise of God’s power. I trusted that even the smallest seed of faith, planted in the soil of hope, could blossom into a testimony of His grace and strength. Building our faith isn’t about having it all figured out or never stumbling along the way; it’s about leaning into Jesus, even when life’s challenges seem insurmountable, even through fear, doubt and the unknown. Every setback becomes a steppingstone when we choose to stand firm on His promises, and when others witness our resilience and unwavering trust in God, it encourages them to believe in the power of their own mustard seed-sized faith.
I didn’t know what was going to happen to me, but I knew that I had to trust and believe God and the promises He made to me. And here I stand, literally, with proof of my faith, laughing through the tears, dancing through the storms and living as a testament to the transforming power of Jesus. I invite you to reflect on your own journey. Remember, it only takes a mustard seed of faith to change everything.
Shawnda Stovall is a minister at James Paschal Missionary Baptist Church in Covington. For information, visit jpmbaptistchurch.weebly.com.
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