I love mustard. It's an amazing condiment! The mildly spicy flavor can make even a nasty hot-dog tolerable. It's probably my second favorite condiment, only beaten by Lizano sauce. I also love the parable of the mustard seed and everything it represents. I love that one of the smallest seeds has such great potential!Jesus teaches that the kingdom of heaven is like a small mustard seed that becomes a tree. Not just any tree, but it grows to be one of the largest trees in the garden. Growing so large that the birds of the air can come and nest in the branches.
In a direct contrast, sitting in my office are two bonsai trees. They are both over ten years old, and neither one of them is more than a foot tall. They are wonderfully manicured and look beautiful. It's work to keep them cutback and under control. Left alone to grow they would become wild and unmanageable. They would become significantly larger. So much so, they would no longer fit in my office.
While bonsai is unnatural, growth is natural. Not only is it natural, but it is also God's plan for His people and His kingdom here on earth. We should always be experiencing growth of some kind in our lives. The challenge is that when things grow they change, and change can be frightening. Often, things that grow become wild and difficult to manage.
We are experiencing tremendous growth. It's almost scary to think about how quickly things are constantly growing and changing! In four short years God has grown the small seeds of an idea into a thriving ministry that is changing the world for Christ in Costa Rica.
One problem is that it is way too easy to say no to growth. We could have tried to keep it small, neat, and manageable, much like one of my bonsai trees. We could keep it simple and look inwardly, striving to keep it small. It wouldn't have been hard to do. All we would have needed to do is ignore the call of God, and resisted the growth He was bringing. However, if we would have done that, we would have missed out on all the blessing of being used by God in such a powerful way.
I've come to believe that a desire to resist growth stems from a fearful, selfish heart. The primary purpose of all Godly growth is to increase our capacity to love and serve others. I'm awed and humbled that God would use 6:8 Ministries to impact so many lives. He has grown us to the point that others have come and find a home and nest in our branches.
Please join us in praying that He will continue to grow His ministry though us. Pray that we will continue to have the courage and conviction to embrace the growth that He brings. Pray that we will have the wisdom to prune the branches that may be stunting the overall growth, and that He would continue to use us to expand and strengthen His kingdom.
