Restoring Eden: How to Grow Spiritually Without Growing WearySample

Mustard Seed Faith

One day, I was rushing to make dinner for my family. I wanted to cook my famous dry-rub chicken wings. When we took the first bite, something was off. The wings tasted bland and lacked that special flavor we all loved. That’s when my husband pointed out what I’d missed: the salt. Out of 15 seasonings, I forgot the most important of all and quickly learned how one small ingredient can completely change an entire meal.

Faith works similarly. In Matthew 17:14–20, we read about a father who brought his son to Jesus. The boy was suffering from seizures, and no one could help him—not even Jesus’s disciples. When they asked why they couldn’t heal the boy, Jesus told them it was because of their “little faith.” But then He said something surprising: that even faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains.

At first, that seems confusing. Why say their faith was too little, but then say even small faith is powerful?

The difference is in what the faith is rooted in. “Little faith” here means weak, wavering faith—faith that’s barely present or misplaced in human effort. Mustard-seed faith, on the other hand, is small yet sincere. It’s alive, focused on God, and ready to grow. Even the tiniest bit of that kind of faith holds great power because of Who it’s placed in.

When we leave out real faith, our spiritual lives can become like my chicken wings—bland and ineffective. We might go to church, read our Bibles, and pray, but without true trust in God, we miss the power His presence brings. The good news is we don’t need big faith. We just need real faith in a big God.

So, if your faith feels small, don’t let that stop you. Plant it anyway. God can grow it into something beautiful and strong. Just like missing salt made all the difference in my meal, a mustard seed of faith can bring the flavor and power of God into every part of your life.

Reflection: Where do you need to trust God more today? How can you give Him your “mustard seed” of faith and let Him do the rest?