“Another parable he put before them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’ He told them another parable. ‘The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.’” (Mt 13: 31-33)
Even “just a little bit” of grace goes a long way, once it’s touched our hearts. Because our God is a God with a very subtle and humble “touch”; He allows us to grow in acceptance of His goodness at our own pace, often imperceptible to ourselves.
If I feel stunted in my spiritual growth today, and God’s grace seems imperceptible in my life, at the moment, let me try remembering back to a grace-filled moment, when God touched my heart. And let me be assured that this “seed” of God is there, within me, like “leaven” that “a woman,” – the Bride of Christ that is His Church, – “took and hid” in the messy lump of dough that is my character.
Let me be grateful for that small-yet-powerful fact today, that God’s little bit of grace is within me, growing imperceptibly into the “tree” that is Christ’s life-bringing Cross in my life. Let me embrace it a bit more today, as its “branches” are imperceptibly growing in usefulness not only to myself, but also to others and their “nests.” Lord, I say “Amen,” or “Let it be,” to the bit of Your goodness in my heart, however imperceptible it may be today.