Mustard Seeds and the Mustard Plant - Herodion National Park, Israel

STAR WORD: DETERMINATION

My Star Word is determination. Determination, for me, is the duality of persistence and resistance against forces and systems that seek to limit or confine someone or something. Determination comes in many forms and seeks to go beyond the human understanding of what is possible. Our faith and religious and spiritual curiosity is an act of determination. One of Jesus' favorite metaphor's for faith was the mustard seed. A mustard seed, as tiny as a tip of a pencil, finds itself in the middle of a hostile environment, but it flourishes to grow into a vibrant living thing, rooted in dry and rocky soil. The mustard seed lives in the constant state of persistence and resistance as it grows into a plant that is a thousand times bigger then it seed. The mustard seed demonstrates such determination that Jesus says if you have that much faith, you can do the impossible.

Simply, as Christ followers, we are called to love God and love one another - period. There are systems and forces at work in our lives and in our society that seek to limit and clarify that simple commandment. It takes persistence to walk a journey of faith, to ask questions, and discover your spiritual self. It was the persistence of our Christian ancestors that started a movement that built a church on this commandment. It also takes resistance against the systems of oppression and hate, to see each other as God sees us. It is an act of faith to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who do not share the same privileges we do and who may be on the margins of a white, male-dominated society. Martin Luther King Jr.'s faith called him to be the voice of resistance in a time and place that needed change. How does our faith, through Jesus, call us in this time and place to faithful persistence and resistance where all people are fully recognized as children of one God?

He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20

In peace and Love,
Kevin J. Lowry


Centered in the Circle ~ Open to the World

11205 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland, Ohio 44106
216.421.0482