Chia Seeds & a Little Faith

As I was eating some delicious Mexican chocolate chia pudding this morning, I could not help but shake my head in wonder. What was once a seed reserved for growing grassy hair on “Ch-ch-ch-chia” Pets and Chia Heads has now been shown to be a superfood, and as a bonus, one that can create a creamy, tapioca-like pudding.

(I added dashes of cayenne, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and pink himalayan salt to this simple recipe.)

But according to healthline.com, it’s been discovered that for their small size, chia seeds impart mega amounts of nutrients. A two-tablespoon serving contains:

Fiber: 11 grams

Protein: 4 grams

Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are omega-3s, the good stuff)

Calcium: 18% of the RDI

Manganese: 30% of the RDI

Magnesium: 30% of the RDI

Phosphorus: 27% of the RDI

They also contain a decent amount of zinc, vitamin B3 (niacin), potassium, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B2.

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Who knew?

Of course, God knew. He’s been creating tiny seeds with superpowers since the beginning of time.

Remember the mustard seed of which Jesus taught?

And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. – Matthew 17:18-21

Here, the Son of God expresses great empathy for his frail human followers. He didn’t expect them to have the superhuman faith that he had – just a tiny bit of the beginnings of faith, as represented by a very small seed.

What an encouragement this is to me! I tend to rely on my own strengths to accomplish things for God, rather than stretching myself and serving him in areas in which I would need to employ a great deal of faith. I feel comfortable singing and teaching in church, but reaching out to a homeless person on a street corner, for example, would be way out of my comfort zone.

But with a prayer to increase my faith in God and love for all whom he loves, I know I could do it. As it says in the passage above,

“Nothing shall be impossible.”

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What does the story of the mustard seed mean to you? In what areas do you need to increase your faith? Your comments do so encourage and inspire me. Thank you!