The parable of the mustard seed defies so many of our preconceived worldly notions about power, planning, and control. As we hear, the mustard seed is a tiny, tiny seed. There is absolutely nothing inherently impressive about it. It cannot do almost anything in and of itself. And yet, despite its littleness and limitedness, it transforms into a magnificent tree such that the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.
This transformation doesn’t occur because the seed desires to become a great tree and wills itself into power and dominance over other plants and animals through sheer self-determination. Rather, it comes to fruition because the seed has already been created by God for growth, goodness, fulfillment, and life. The beauty and pattern of the seed’s development is not something that it creates for itself. It is a gift that it receives from the Creator when it cooperates with the goodness that has been designed for it.
Like the seed, we are not the source of ourselves. We cannot sustain ourselves in existence for even a moment. And if we are brutally honest, we recognize how tiny and little we are in so many ways. And that’s absolutely fine. Because all of our successes and happiness and fulfillment are not dependent on us. The beauty and pattern of our personal flourishing is a gift that we receive from the Creator when we allow ourselves to cooperate with his infinitely loving will for our lives.