What does itsy bitsy teeny weeny bring to mind? Maybe the childhood rhyme for children about the itsy bitsy spider or perhaps the teen song about the itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikini, the song by Bryan Hyland. ( I stood in line for his autograph at our local pool hangout in my preteen years.) Maybe you thought about a mustard seed. Have you seen one? They are definitely itsy bitsy. So small and yet a mustard bush reaches an average mature height of between 6 and 20 feet with a 20-foot spread, although exceptional plants can reach 30 feet tall under ideal conditions. The Gospel of Matthew has a parable emphasizing the fact the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. Matthew 17:20 New Living Translation.

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

As a young girl, I had been given a necklace that encased a mustard seed and have since passed it on to my granddaughter. Looking at it and my faith I find this verse and instruction from Jesus to be so powerful. There are so many times in this life that my faith has indeed felt as itsy bitsy as that small seed and yet it was enough. That speck was enough to hold me through some deep valleys and then helped me grow just like the plant to a wiser, stronger, and more faith-filled follower of our Lord. He is so wise and His teachings in story form create wonderful comparisons, picture stories for our minds to grasp and learn for new growth. Imagine losing all of your faith, knowing that if you can conjure up the tiniest of itsy bitsy seed-size faith, it will be enough. It will be enough to let our Lord know you are His and ready for a growth spurt. How blessed are we to have God’s teachings as our seed packet of directions for life, pure, simple, succinct, and unconditional! No matter the season of your life nurture your seed and allow it to flourish.

Jill