In the stage of life when we think about downsizing, think about faith — and remember that mustard seed

Earlier this week, I woke up in the middle of the night and this scripture popped into my sleepy head.

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

I replied, “Really? You think, Lord?” I was more than annoyed at this inspiration of the Holy Spirit waking me in the middle of the night. It wasn’t the first time I had been awakened that night. Johanna, who was lying next me in my king-sized bed, had already wakened me at least three times. The tapping of her little fingers on my shoulders and head wasn’t quite as subtle as the whispers of the Holy Spirit.

This week Johanna and I were solo in the house, that is except for two cats and two large dogs. One of the cats slept on our heads (we call her the night nurse) and our golden retriever slept at our feet. While that may seem protective, he really just wants the blankets and continues to expose our feet while he makes a pillow for himself with my fluffy comforter.

The other dog, our black lab, sleeps on the couch downstairs. If the fire alarms go off or he hears an animal outside, he sounds a warning bark and then goes to hide in his crate. He’s our early warning system. Right.

Anyway, since my husband was away visiting his family, I’ve had lots of time to contemplate how empty our nest really is at this time of our life. We went from four kids to one (for now) and four dogs to two (for now). This temporary empty nest gave me a glimpse into the world of single parenthood with a young adult with special needs. It’s not easy. I give those parents (many of them moms) lots of credit. And I’m thinking it’s time to downsize everything in my life, including my faith.

So what the heck was God thinking when he caught my attention in the middle of the night with this mustard seed of faith scripture? After all, didn’t he know that it was the third or fourth time I was awakened that night?

But then I remembered. I had been too busy to pray in this week of single parenting. I guess he thought, like the golden retriever at my feet, it was the first time I had been still in a few days and he needed to talk to me in the quiet.

God was right. This mustard seed of faith scripture has been ever present in my mind and heart since I heard it in the wee hours of dawn. While downsizing our houses, our material possessions, consumption and all that sounds noble, one rarely thinks of downsizing faith. We often times think of faith as big and expansive, kind of like gearing up for the New York Marathon when you’ve only been doing a mile walk a day. It feels like you’ll never get there.

Jesus did NOT say, “Hey, if you just had MORE faith, you could move this obstacle (or receive a physical healing, a new job, a financial windfall).” He did tell us if we have just a mustard seed — teeny, tiny mustard seed of faith — we could move the mountain before us.

This past week, I’ve given a lot of thought to this mustard seed faith. I realized that I have gotten so far ahead with my “big picture” mindset that I am essentially running faster and harder than even the Lord Himself wants me to run. And I am tired.

I have a lot on my plate. We all do. One reason is because we literally hold world-sized information at our fingertips. In one Google search, I can find out what’s happening around the globe, translate a foreign language and learn how to remove a stubborn stain from my clothes.

From Facebook statuses I know what my friends clear across the country are watching on television and eating for breakfast at their favorite restaurant. Truly, it’s too much information. I believe it helps to contribute to this overwhelming feeling we all have to do things bigger and smarter and faster than ever before.

In all areas of my life, I’m trying to focus on incremental steps to success through accomplishing projects by breaking them down into smaller tasks. I follow the FlyLady system to remember that I do anything for 15 minutes. It’s amazing how much cleaner the kitchen is in 15 minutes or how a pile of laundry can be folded and put away in that same time. Taking a few minutes at the end of a day to plan the next day helps me to use my time wisely. All the little steps can add up to a leap in no time.

When it comes to faith, I often imagine a gigantic leap of trusting God for my entire future and for my spouse, and children. But all God is asking me to do is take the next step, use my little mustard seed-sized faith and trust Him in the present moment.

If you’re like me and you need to break down that leap of faith to mustard seed proportions, here’s three suggestions:

• Stop running and pray: It doesn’t have to be a lengthy monologue, but rather a simple dialogue that begins with “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief”. Mark 9:24

• When you see a seemingly insurmountable mountain before you, “Cast all your anxieties on the Lord, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

• My favorite mustard seed sized prayer is this one: “Jesus, I trust in You”. Faith doesn’t get much simpler or more profound than that prayer.

Rather than mustering up a king-sized faith, we can help those mountains move with smaller acts and prayers of faith. Reflecting and acting on God’s Word on mustard seed sized faith, we still have to face the realities and difficulties of life. My daughter still has an incurable disease, we still have many jobs to do and bills to pay. But by approaching each mountain with the mustard seed sized faith, that which seemed impossible becomes possible, one moment, one prayer and one seed at a time.

Eileen Benthal is a writer, speaker and wellness coach with a B.A. in Theology from Franciscan University. She is the author of Breathing Underwater: A Caregiver’s Journey of Hope.

Eileen and her husband Steve live in Jamesport and have four young adult children. Their youngest, Johanna, is a teenager with special needs.

Eileen can be reached at CareforaCaregiver.com.