Many of us are familiar with the parable of the mustard seed found in the New Testament gospels. We have been studying the gospel of Mark in Sunday School and I noted a few weeks back that I always think of our children when I hear this parable. I think of planting these tiny seeds of faith, kindness, and love and praying that one day the seed will grow into something greater than any of us can imagine.
I didn’t realize how quickly I would see this parable smack me upside the noggin. It was only but a week later when my nine year old daughter, Natalie said, “Hey mom, listen to this.” She began to read me the following paper that she had written for a contest at school.
Christmas
By Natalie Griffith
Christmas is not about getting new toys or getting gifts. It’s about giving and Jesus’s birth. Yes, you might get toys and other things and that’s fun, but that’s not as important as giving and Jesus’s birth.
Jesus loves you. Not everybody goes to church and not everybody loves him. It’s sad how many people don’t love Him. He came to earth and then he died for you.
I go to church and I will always love Him more than anything in the whole world. Nobody will ever come between me and Jesus. Some people would do it in a heartbeat, but I don’t know why you would not love Him. He died for you!
On Christmas when you are opening your presents, don’t forget to think about Jesus’s birthday. You like your birthday celebration on your birthday. Don’t you think Jesus likes his birthday celebration? He will love you no matter what. He wants you to love him, but he loves you even if you don’t. Nothing will come between me and Jesus!
Did I mention she is 9? Yeah.
When she looked up from her paper, I’m pretty sure you could’ve knocked dear ole Mom over with a feather. Sure, I take my kids to church. We pray, we read our Bibles, we try to help others as much as we can. But then there are times when we’re mean and ugly. Mom and Dad argue, siblings argue, and we all are just looking out for Number One. I have a mouth like a sailor when I choose to use it. I’m not proud of that or the many less than ideal things I have done or said. I’m just a poor sinner who has fallen off of more wagons than Carter has liver pills. Aren’t we all though? Haven’t we all? “I won’t cuss today.” (Then I drop a can of tomato sauce on my toe and scream things that would make an entire fleet of sailors get red in the face.) “I won’t play with this fire or that fire.” Then we do. We are all human. We try, we fail; we fail and we try. And God loves us through it all, even when we say or do the most bone-headed things we can possibly think of.
When Natalie read her words, I couldn’t believe what this little person had come to realize. You can hear the revelations in her writing. It’s as if everything she has been taught since she came into this world is finally coming together. Each Sunday that I took her to church…each Sunday School teacher…each Children’s Church teacher…each grandparent, aunt, uncle, and friend—all had planted a tiny mustard seed in this child. Natalie is going to fail a bazillion times over throughout her life. She is going to do and say things that I don’t even want to think about. She’s human. But I know these seeds are in her heart. Keep on planting, friends. You never know what you say or do might take root in another human being.
Natalie Gray Griffith…you inspire me, kiddo.
“Train a child in the ways of the Lord and he will not depart.” ~Proverbs 22:6
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