"I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." - Matthew 17:20Over the weekend my friends and I went to go see the new movie, The Lorax. I really enjoyed this movie. It is cute, entertaining, and great for the whole family. But as I watched the movie I kept thinking about how the main character, Ted, wanted to plant a seed in the ground so a real tree could grow and everyone in the town would see it's beauty. (If you don't know the story of the Lorax, there are no real trees in Ted's town and everything is made of plastic.) It's funny because Ted was originally only doing this for a girl he's crushing on, Audrey. However, sometime God inspires us to do things that we never thought of before -- even if it was originally intended for a boy or girl we really like.
As the movie progressed Ted was willing to do anything to get a real tree for Audrey. So once he got a seed of the last living tree he was determined to plant that seed in the center of town so everyone would see it grow. This reminds me of how we can plant the seed of faith in the lives of others, those who have yet to know the love of God. Just as Ted gave his own personal best effort for getting the tree for Audrey (which he succeeded), Jesus will in turn give us His best if we give Him our best. If you offer up prayers and sacrifices God will give you a generous harvest and multiply your rewards in a miraculous way.
But when you are planting your seeds make sure to place them in rich soil for healthy growth, otherwise they will wither and die. For instance, if you are praying for the conversion of your friend offer up prayers and sacrifices to those saints who are known to do the impossible. Their intercession for you, before God, will be miraculous indeed. Four saints of impossible causes I pray to all the time include -- St. Jude, St. Rita, St. Philomena, and St. Gregory. I trust them with a firm faith, along with the intercession of the Most Holy Mother, Mary, to guide and purify my intention before the throne of God.
In the movie, The Lorax, the kids had a hard time finding a place to plant the seed since there was no soil to be found. But once there was a hole in the ground they found the soil they needed. Sometimes it just takes patience, but if you plant your seed with faith and love, trusting that God will answer your sincere petition, He will give you the answer that you so earnestly and trustingly seek. However, the answers always come in God's time, not ours. It is important to submit ourselves to the Will of God, for His Will will ultimately make us the happiest because He knows what is best for us. Even our prayer might not be answered in the way we think because God may have a better way to answer it instead.
If we keep this in mind, trusting the Lord with our prayers and sacrifices, anything is possible. As Jesus said Himself, stated in Matthew 17:20, "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." If we continue to foster our seeds with faith and love, we will be loved as we love. Through prayer, we will be healed as we heal. We will be blessed as we bless. We will be given as we give to others. It is something that involves a complete surrender to God's Holy Will. Never doubt God's infinite mercy and divine love. If we trust without hesitation our prayer will be answered according to God's own good time -- meaning that even if we don't see the fruit of our petition doesn't mean that it wasn't answered. It may take months, years, or even a lifetime... but if you fully partake in this trust, planting your seed of faith, nothing is impossible!
