On Sunday morning we always have a family worship time before our house church, realizing that our house church is still a play time for our kids while the adults worship (we hope this changes sometime, but for now…)  This Sunday, we played a video the kids like of a Christian band for youth, and they sang a song about faith the size of a mustard seed.  Eric used that as a springboard to help them understand what that means.  He showed them some very small items on a plate…

He had them finger the different seeds… did you know that a mustard seed is the size of the smallest seed on that plate (the celery seed?).  It is a very small commodity.  Jesus said it doesn’t take much faith…  Each of the kids and us then  shared the mountains in our own lives that we need faith for God to move.  For Annie, it is as shared below (Unzippering), having her mouth unzippered when she’s at school or with Japanese people… for Owen (we loved how vulnerable he was!) it is not being scared when he’s in bed at night at the door is closed and it’s dark;  Eric and I shared about our continued prayer for God to provide a new larger home in our neighborhood.  Then we went around and prayed simple prayers for our mountains.  

We have not told Annie about her eye problem at this point and so didn’t bring it up during this prayer time (it would make her incredibly self-conscious).  The next 24 hours after this family worship time, Annie’s eyes seemed to get suddenly worse.  That night three times when we were out, the weak eye seemed to get “stuck” looking away;  yesterday most of the day we noticed her eyes not matching up.  Last night, after the kids went down, Eric and I had to pull out our own mustard seeds and spend some time together talking and in prayer, asking God for healing, for wisdom, for direction.  We are trusting Him– we must trust Him!-  for guidance in terms of doctors, timing, and what Annie needs right now. 

Today- we hardly noticed any eye problems.  The doctor said it will be like a rollercoaster in terms of frequency until she gets this surgery.  But I am reminded by Eric’s simple object lesson that my faith does not need to be that rollercoaster.  

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.  We’ll keep you updated.  

What’s your mountain?  Look again at HOW LITTLE those seeds are — mustard seeds are as small as the smallest in the top right of the photo!   Thanks, God, that you don’t demand more than we can give.