The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’”
Luke 17:5-6
The disciples were a lot like many of us. They believed that it was possible for them to increase their faith. So, Jesus told them in no uncertain terms that size doesn’t matter. Their problem was that they weren’t looking for increased faith at all, they were looking for certitude! And that’s not faith. As the writer, Ann Lamott has said, “The opposite of faith is not doubt, it’s certainty.” That’s a hard concept to get into our heads, but what a relief it is when we finally get it. That’s why it’s so hard to deal with pious folks who smugly claim to have no doubts about God. They turn us off with certainty, especially when they imply there’s something wrong with us. That’s why Thomas is so appealing. He was open to his doubts, but his faith won the day! That little bit of faith that we have is plenty–in fact Jesus says it has power beyond our imaginations. That mustard-size faith is big enough to handle cancer, heart disease, and divorce. Sometimes we get so fed up with the world that it’s hard to believe anything, but our little bit of faith keeps us going. God is and because God is, there’s nothing that can separate us from the love of God.
Thought for the Day: Why do I like to have certainty about stuff?
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