Small Enough to Miss
There’s something about simplicity that I don’t think we value enough anymore.
We live in a time where everything is polished, edited, produced, and honestly… a little overdone. And don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for technology. I am. But sometimes I think we just need a reality check about what actually matters.
Sometimes the most simple things… are the best things.
And that’s part of what I love about the parables.
They’re simple. But they’re not shallow.
Jesus said in Matthew 13 that He spoke in parables so that some people would understand… and some wouldn’t. Same words, but it depends on the condition of the heart.
So yeah, they’re simple—but they’re also profound.
I’ll be honest with you.
This one hit a little differently for me.
I recently released my book, Choosing Better, and I think I had this expectation in my head—maybe I didn’t even fully realize it—but I thought it would just take off.
And it didn’t.
And that hurts.
Not because I need a bunch of people to buy it or feel sorry for me, but because when you’ve poured years of lessons, growth, and hard seasons into something… and it feels like it lands quietly, it can mess with you.
You start thinking:
Why am I doing this?
Does this even matter?
Is anyone even paying attention?
And I had to catch myself.
Because that right there—that spiral—that’s exactly what I wrote about in Choosing Better.
That moment where you decide:
Am I going to circle this same mountain again…
or am I going to choose differently this time?
And right in the middle of all of that, I had this thought:
What if this is a mustard seed thing?
Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.
And I think we’ve heard that so many times that we don’t really stop and think about what that meant to the people He was talking to.
To them, a mustard seed was basically nothing.
Tiny. Insignificant.
So when He says the kingdom of heaven is like that… it’s almost like saying:
This thing you’re hoping will be big and obvious… starts small.
And that’s not what they wanted.
They wanted something big. Immediate. Powerful. Obvious.
But instead, He gives them a seed.
And I think that’s where we struggle.
Because we’re waiting on something bigger…
and we don’t realize God already started it.
It just doesn’t look like what we expected.
Think about it.
You feel like God told you to do something. You step out and do it. And in your mind, you’ve already played out how it’s going to go.
You’re expecting a certain response. A certain outcome.
And then… it doesn’t happen.
Or it looks really small.
Or hardly anyone shows up.
And it’s discouraging.
But what if that’s not the ending point?
What if that’s just the starting point?
That’s the part I’ve had to remind myself of.
The small beginning doesn’t feel like much.
But that’s not the end.
That’s the beginning.
In Matthew 13, Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his field.
And even though it’s one of the smallest seeds…
it grows into something big enough that birds can come and build their nests in it.
That contrast is the whole point.
Tiny beginning.
Unexpected outcome.
And here’s what’s interesting.
Mustard plants don’t just grow.
They spread.
Fast.
They’re not delicate. They’re not controlled. They don’t stay in one neat little place. They can actually take over an entire area.
Which is why a lot of people wouldn’t even want them in their garden unless they were intentionally growing mustard.
Because once it starts… it doesn’t stay contained.
And I love that Jesus chose that.
Not an oak tree. Not something that grows slow and steady and looks strong the whole time.
He chose something:
- small
- unexpected
- a little messy
- and honestly… kind of invasive
Because the kingdom doesn’t always show up the way we expect.
It doesn’t always look impressive at first.
It doesn’t always feel orderly or put together.
Sometimes it feels like…
What is even happening right now?
But that doesn’t mean it’s not working.
God starts something in you that feels small.
Almost laughable, honestly.
And you have a choice:
Do I dismiss this?
Or do I plant it?
Because that small thing…
has the potential to become something you can’t even contain later.
And I think we minimize that.
We let the enemy convince us that if it’s small, it doesn’t matter.
But Jesus literally said:
This is how the kingdom works.
So whatever God has started in you…
even if it feels small…
don’t dismiss it.
Don’t downplay it.
Don’t let yourself believe it’s insignificant.
Because it’s not.
I’ve had so many moments where I’ve wondered if anything I’m doing is actually making a difference.
Whether it’s writing, teaching, sharing… any of it.
And sometimes, if I’m being honest, it feels like the answer is no.
But then I come back to this:
I don’t do it for numbers.
I don’t do it for recognition.
I do it because I believe God asked me to.
And if even one person hears something at the right time…
it’s worth it.
If this resonates with you, if you’ve been in a season that feels small or slow or honestly just confusing…
you’re not alone.
And there’s probably more happening than you can see right now.
I talked more about this in my recent podcast episode on the parable of the mustard seed, and how the kingdom of heaven often begins in ways we’re tempted to overlook.
You can listen to the full episode on the Grace & Grit Mindset Podcast.https://grace-grit.castos.com/episodes/the-kingdom-of-heaven-is-likesmall-enough-to-miss
And just remember this:
God always starts small.
But He never leaves it that way.
