Does size matter?

"You just need to have more faith."

I'm sure you've probably heard those words at some point.As if somehow that's the Harry Houdini trick to fixing your situation.

Now I realize depending on where you're at in that moment of your life you can respond one of two ways. 

If you're in a loving, Mister Rogers type place you can simply nod and offer a smile and thank them for their 'encouragement.'

Or...your more cynical side may respond with an extra dose of sarcasm"Oh yeah you're so right! That's what I'm missing, I must have left it at home. Hold on a sec while I go back and get my 'faith bag' and pull out an extra heaping portion." 

Let's face it, when we're going through a trial one of the last things we're in the mood for is for someone to advise us on what we're doing wrong. Especially if it's something we've already recognized ourselves.  

I only say that because I've experienced it...many times, especially with my health stuff. I know their intention is good and their heart is in the right place. Because while I hate to admit it I have also been on the giving end of that advice.I realize while many intentions may come from a positive place, the effect can often illicit a negative connotation.

Like telling someone they need to have more faith for instance. It suggests that grace comes from our own works.That it's up to us. That if we could just have sasquatch size faith then God would answer our prayer or bring us out of that situation. 

If only I had a stronger faith God would heal me. If I just believed more He would think I deserved that job. What am I doing wrong that God's not answering my prayers? Is it my faith? Whatever the situation may be that's simply not the case. 

We have the idea that God rewards us for our faith, and while it may be so at times we do not earn anything from faith. Faith brings us into a closer relationship with God and gives Him His opportunity to work in and through our lives.

We don't need to earn God's grace or His mercy He simply gives it because He loves us. "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy."Romans 9:15-16

I realize a big part of why I had such a hard time with my health in the beginning was not because I didn't have faith but because my faith was sorely misplaced. With failed doctor after doctor it was definitely frustrating but I believe God was using that to draw my faith to where it should be...completely and wholeheartedly in Him.

You see it's not the size of our faith that matters most to him but the who or what we're choosing to put it in. Having giant faith can be a great thing don't get me wrong but if we're putting it in the wrong things it will leave us coming up empty every time. 

But here's the awesome extra extra read all about it news...even the smallest faith in a giant God will provide us with amazing results!

It's all up to him, all we have to do is trust him enough to let him do it.

I came across the verse "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.And nothing will be impossible for you."Matthew 17:20  And while I've heard that verse a million and one times, it hit me in a different way this time. (as often happens with bible scriptures)

Not being a huge fan of mustard I had no idea the size of a mustard seed was, so like any curious scholar would do, I googled it. Let's just say it's bigger than a grain of sand but smaller than a popcorn seed! That's pretty stinkin small. Just think about that for a moment. It says with faith that small not only can you move a ginormous mountain but NOTHING will be impossible.

It doesn't say if you have faith that small you may be able to move an ant hill and only little things will be possible but big things like your kids, your job, your health, your addictions, well those things..those things will be impossible, sorry. Nosiree, it says N.O.T.H.I.N.G. NOTHING! Wow. God is amazing. Even when our faith is small He can still do great things. We need to remember that. 

So does size matter? It depends on how you're looking at it. I don't know what mountain is standing in front of you right now but if you focus so much on how small or weak your faith is it will only leave you frustrated and discouraged. Stronger faith will come but by God not by us.  He's so much bigger than what you're going through. Even tiny seed-like faith in that truth can make the impossible possible. You're problem will seem so small when you focus on just how HUGE our God is and it's only then that size really matters.