Nurturing the Mustard Seed

By Catherine Garrett

Nurturing the Mustard Seed is a mother's journey through her son's life struggles. He had shown us that not only was his Mustard Seed flourishing, it was a beautiful thriving tree. He was an honest and compassionate mentor to his peers and continued daily prayers to ask for God's help. His courage and faith stood strong as he fought for his life and was gently lead to Christ. Chris declared Jesus as his Lord and Savior just months before he was called to heaven. Although he took his life, I truly believe that God will continue to use him for good works into eternal life. The loss of a child will drop you to your knees. It is something that you can never prepare yourself for. You question everything in your life. I questioned myself. Was there something that I could have done differently? I questioned God. Why would you take my son, instead of helping him? Only God knows the answers to these questions. In walking through the journey of grief, I have prayed every day for strength. I love and miss Chris more than can be imagined. I believe that anyone dealing with addictions, mental illness, or thoughts of suicide will be encouraged by this book. With the proper education, we can recognize the signs and help those in need. Don't ever be afraid to trust your gut, to reach out, and talk to someone who may be struggling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098006945

Book preview

Chapter 1

Planting the Mustard Seed

In the Gospel of Matthew, the parable of the mustard seed is as follows: He set another Man before them, saying, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.’

I love the parable of the Mustard Seed and how we can compare it to our life. If we took a handful of seeds and planted them in different locations, they would have varied results. Some would grow to their full potential; others would not survive. As in each one of us, the same applies. At birth and growing into an adult, we all have different DNA, upbringing, and nurturing.

God chose us to share his word. This was His plan long before the creation of the world. He not only chose me; we’ve all been chosen. It is our free will to accept God as our Lord and Savior and to become a part of spreading His word. When we are young, the tiny seed is planted in all of us, but only a few nurture it to its full potential. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. The person who has the power of the Holy Spirit working in their life has the treasure and knowledge that the kingdom of heaven has an enormous value. The reign of God in our life is so valuable that if you lose everything, you are still rich! Those who discern this treasure and value it outright will never be at ease until they have made it their own on any terms. If it was not for the grace of God, we would never give the mustard seed what it takes to thrive. So there is no cost too great to see the reign of Christ expand throughout the kingdom by sharing his word.

It’s always amazing to me that in our youth, some of us get it and some do not. Being raised in a Catholic family, private Catholic schools, and church six days a week, you would think that it would be easy for me to understand how to live a purposeful life through Jesus. I had an ideal upbringing to cultivate that understanding and to share the Work of God but chose not to nurture it. It was very tough for