Mark 4:26-34
“And through it all the seed would sprout and grow.” (Mark 4:27)
In today’s gospel, Jesus’ teaching is filled with such underlying hope. A hope that speaks not only of the glorious ways He will build up his kingdom, but also of how He wants to build up our own hearts. This hope isn’t dependent on our strength or effort, but it needs one thing: our joyful yes.
I once heard a homily centered around the daily call to surrender. The priest issued an invitation to respond to everything encountered with the simple cry of “Yes, Lord.” I took that call to heart. From hitting all the red lights on my way home to biting my tongue when faced with an unkind word, there were countless moments when experiencing disappointment to turn to Jesus with a heartfelt, “Yes, Lord.”
This year, I have found myself with an abundance of opportunities to say yes, some more demanding than before. Even though many of these things would be present with or without my consent, I found myself struggling to give the Lord my wholehearted yes. I wrestled repeatedly with the ever-present invitation to trust in ways I could not yet see.
Over time though, I witnessed that in those moments, when it takes every ounce of strength to say, “Yes, Lord,” He works miracles in our hearts. There comes a clarity that gently reminds us that He knew what He was doing all along. The fruit He is able to grow in us through the little seed of our simple yes is abundant beyond our wildest imagination -- it’s a harvest full of grace and virtue we never could have grown on our own.
When it seems the Lord couldn’t possibly be asking us to give that much, remember He never asks for more than we can handle. He asks for the little step, the little moment, the little yes, that, when placed in his hands, becomes something extraordinary. Without our understanding, from the tiniest of seeds He grows vast fields of harvest. He can do the same in our lives, if only we plant the seeds.
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