Follow the Father

A few days ago, I was at a friend's house, watching him change the brake pads on his jeep. I wasn't the only one watching him. His three-year-old son was also watching. Will didn't just allow Wyatt to watch--he involved him in the process. He let the boy hold his shop light while he crawled safely into the wheel well and inspect the brake pads with the scrutiny of a toddler. He helped him remove and replace the pads, talking him through the process each step of the way. It reminded me of Jesus, who said in John 5:19-20 (ESV):

Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

Just as Will showed Wyatt how to change the brakes on the jeep, Jesus said that the Father was showing him what to do. He paid close attention to every detail so He could perfectly follow the Father's will.

Now, we're not Jesus. We're a bit more like toddlers, trying our hands at something that's really too complicated for us. But the Father is patient with us, demonstrating His love again and again until we get it. When we think we're turning the wrench, we are unaware that His strong hands are holding ours. He lets us help, and He helps us learn. Then He trusts that one day, when we're more mature, we'll be able to do it ourselves. I pray today that you'll be like Jesus, that you'll follow the Father, that and that you'll let Him lead you to even greater things.

Mustard and Yeast

Luke 13:18-21 (ESV)         
18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”

Jesus' parable of the mustard seed is about four things: willingness, rooting, spreading, and nurturing.

The faith of a mustard seed is about willingness. It does not seek to control its environment. Neither does it try to be something it's not. It is content with being such a tiny seed. When used poorly, mustard can overpower any recipe that it's in, but when used properly it enhances flavor beautifully. The faith of a mustard seed is willing to be used humbly, without the need to over-assert itself. The faith of a mustard seed is willing to grow.

Growing means reaching both upward to the sun and downward to the earth. The seed doesn't know which way is up and which way is down, but something directs it.  That something is God.  As it grows downward, being rooted and grounded in love, the seed receives all the nutrients it needs. As it grows upward, it gets sunlight and rain which feed it. It grows and spreads, just like the Realm of God does, until what was once a tiny seed has become a great bush.

Jesus said this bush becomes a shelter for all kinds of birds. It's not just one kind of bird but all kinds make their nests in these branches. This nurturing means being a shelter for people, and not destroying them. It means accepting their weight upon my branches and their waste on my roots.  Having the faith of a mustard seed means that this kind of nurture comes naturally, because I am rooted in Christ and receive his energy like the rays of the sun. This love then extends from myself to my family, community, country, world, and universe.