IlookToGod
05-24-2015, 03:44 PM
A mustard seed, one of the smallest of its kind, drifts in the winds of a recent storm. The seed flies through the clouds effortlessly as it gazes down at splotches of land below. The seed, not too enthusiastic about landing, thinks about all the giant, gallant trees it has seen while being swept up by the wind to new lands across the world. The tiny mustard seed wishes to be like the beautiful trees it has seen, but doubts itself because of its size. The seed doubts its circumstances. “I’m just too small; I’ll never grow into a majestic tree like all those famous trees that are known by the world because of their unique size. Those trees were just selected by nature to be blessed and gifted, not me.”
The seed is caught in a wind drift on a gusty day and is carried across the ocean. By now the mustard seed has grown depressed and broken within, because it has convinced itself that it’s just not worthy of growing into a tree or even existing at all. The hopeless seed looks at the blue ocean underneath it. A thought comes to the seeds mind, “I should just cast myself down into the vast ocean and let this heartache be over.” Then just as the seed drops into the blue abyss, it sees a flock of migrating birds passing over it. The seed prepares to drop into the sea but suddenly a talon of a bird catches the seed in its freefall. The startled seed says, “What are you doing? Let me go!” The bird says nothing, but continues flying. The seed grows angry. “Let me down now! Let go! I-I have to go!” The bird calmly says, “And where is it you plan on going?” The seed, not having many options to answer replies, “I am riding the wind to a new land.” The bird softly laughs, “No, I think you would like to visit the depths of the ocean for a lifetime and never return to land from whence you came.” The seed, taken aback replies, “Why would you say that?” The bird flaps his wings harder, until they are flying above the clouds. “You may not have known, or cared, but I have been watching you for a long time. I remember when you were still in the tree that dropped you onto the ground, when you first felt the Earth’s soil for the first time. I remember every storm you’ve been in, every hungry bird that overlooked you for its lunch, and every time you look with stars in your eyes at the trees around you, which you seem to believe you’ll never become.” The mustard seed says, “I won’t be like those trees, I simply can’t. Look at me, I’m too small.” The bird looks down at the seed for a moment, then returns its gaze forward. “Little seed, I have been around for a long time. I have seen young whales separated from their mothers as a pack of orcas chase its trail to eat them and have watched the lost whale reunited with its mother, unharmed. Where hope might have been lost, it was not. I have seen humans in stormy seas, as waves larger than their boat sweep over them relentlessly, but all had believing hearts with hope, and none were taken by the ocean. I have seen the ocean grow angry at the land and throw itself onto it with fierceness, while the creatures of land suffered and perished. But still, there was hope after. Many of our flock have grown weary and tired, but none have fallen….none. Hope will give you wings and energy to thrive, or in your case, survive.”
The seed grew silent for quite a time as the bird carried it. Then the seed spoke. “How do I acquire this ability, hope?” The bird slowed its flapping to a gentle soar and responded, “There was a particular human long ago that was here on this very Earth, before you or the tree which dropped you to the ground….. Before you were even alive. He spoke in words that were of love and wisdom, that lead many broken and lost people to a new and more beautiful lives. He had so much hope and power that if a person even touched him, they would be made new and healed from anything. He would say to have hope when even everything is impossible, because sustaining hope brings out faith, which is the belief that anything and everything can be done through him. And only through him, if you believe, whatever you ask can and will happen. Nothing is impossible. It will be done. He was known everywhere he went. He eventually died. But the world still remembers him and his word still inhales and exhales through the universe. The bird looked down at the seed and said, “He even mentioned you in a parable that is known by the world today. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches" The seed eagerly asked, “Oh tell me, how can I have hope and faith?” The bird let out a long laugh and replied with a bellow, “Believe! Believe in all! In everything! Believe in Him who makes everything possible! The seed started to think of the parable of this man and of what the bird was saying.
The seed looked at the ocean one last time. The seed looked back at the bird. “I believe. I believe! I WANT TO LIVE! I want to grow large and tall! I want to house all the birds of the forest! I want to share this with every creature that lives! The bird lowers its flight underneath the clouds and back to the flock. The bird said, “Good, we are here.” The seed looks down and sees a large stretch of land with many trees, some tall, and some small, further than it could see. The bird flies over the land for a while and lands further in the woods, with the seed still in its talons. The bird releases the seed on a clearing of soft soil. Then, the bird starts to take off. The seed cries out “Wait!” The bird stops flapping. The seed asks, “What was his name? The man you spoke of. The man that changed my look on life? The one who saved me.” The bird quietly and delicately said, “He’s the one that knows you. The one that is there always watching out for you. The one that once was a stranger, but now is a friend. The one that never lets go. His name is Jesus.”
The seed is caught in a wind drift on a gusty day and is carried across the ocean. By now the mustard seed has grown depressed and broken within, because it has convinced itself that it’s just not worthy of growing into a tree or even existing at all. The hopeless seed looks at the blue ocean underneath it. A thought comes to the seeds mind, “I should just cast myself down into the vast ocean and let this heartache be over.” Then just as the seed drops into the blue abyss, it sees a flock of migrating birds passing over it. The seed prepares to drop into the sea but suddenly a talon of a bird catches the seed in its freefall. The startled seed says, “What are you doing? Let me go!” The bird says nothing, but continues flying. The seed grows angry. “Let me down now! Let go! I-I have to go!” The bird calmly says, “And where is it you plan on going?” The seed, not having many options to answer replies, “I am riding the wind to a new land.” The bird softly laughs, “No, I think you would like to visit the depths of the ocean for a lifetime and never return to land from whence you came.” The seed, taken aback replies, “Why would you say that?” The bird flaps his wings harder, until they are flying above the clouds. “You may not have known, or cared, but I have been watching you for a long time. I remember when you were still in the tree that dropped you onto the ground, when you first felt the Earth’s soil for the first time. I remember every storm you’ve been in, every hungry bird that overlooked you for its lunch, and every time you look with stars in your eyes at the trees around you, which you seem to believe you’ll never become.” The mustard seed says, “I won’t be like those trees, I simply can’t. Look at me, I’m too small.” The bird looks down at the seed for a moment, then returns its gaze forward. “Little seed, I have been around for a long time. I have seen young whales separated from their mothers as a pack of orcas chase its trail to eat them and have watched the lost whale reunited with its mother, unharmed. Where hope might have been lost, it was not. I have seen humans in stormy seas, as waves larger than their boat sweep over them relentlessly, but all had believing hearts with hope, and none were taken by the ocean. I have seen the ocean grow angry at the land and throw itself onto it with fierceness, while the creatures of land suffered and perished. But still, there was hope after. Many of our flock have grown weary and tired, but none have fallen….none. Hope will give you wings and energy to thrive, or in your case, survive.”
The seed grew silent for quite a time as the bird carried it. Then the seed spoke. “How do I acquire this ability, hope?” The bird slowed its flapping to a gentle soar and responded, “There was a particular human long ago that was here on this very Earth, before you or the tree which dropped you to the ground….. Before you were even alive. He spoke in words that were of love and wisdom, that lead many broken and lost people to a new and more beautiful lives. He had so much hope and power that if a person even touched him, they would be made new and healed from anything. He would say to have hope when even everything is impossible, because sustaining hope brings out faith, which is the belief that anything and everything can be done through him. And only through him, if you believe, whatever you ask can and will happen. Nothing is impossible. It will be done. He was known everywhere he went. He eventually died. But the world still remembers him and his word still inhales and exhales through the universe. The bird looked down at the seed and said, “He even mentioned you in a parable that is known by the world today. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches" The seed eagerly asked, “Oh tell me, how can I have hope and faith?” The bird let out a long laugh and replied with a bellow, “Believe! Believe in all! In everything! Believe in Him who makes everything possible! The seed started to think of the parable of this man and of what the bird was saying.
The seed looked at the ocean one last time. The seed looked back at the bird. “I believe. I believe! I WANT TO LIVE! I want to grow large and tall! I want to house all the birds of the forest! I want to share this with every creature that lives! The bird lowers its flight underneath the clouds and back to the flock. The bird said, “Good, we are here.” The seed looks down and sees a large stretch of land with many trees, some tall, and some small, further than it could see. The bird flies over the land for a while and lands further in the woods, with the seed still in its talons. The bird releases the seed on a clearing of soft soil. Then, the bird starts to take off. The seed cries out “Wait!” The bird stops flapping. The seed asks, “What was his name? The man you spoke of. The man that changed my look on life? The one who saved me.” The bird quietly and delicately said, “He’s the one that knows you. The one that is there always watching out for you. The one that once was a stranger, but now is a friend. The one that never lets go. His name is Jesus.”