The scriptures are clear that a small amount of faith can be the start of big things. Alma said all you need is a “particle” of faith to work wonders. Jesus said, “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.”
But what if it’s not just your faith that you’re worried about? What if someone you love seems to be losing their grip on that mustard seed or hanging on to only a particle?
An experience with my son taught me an important principle about nurturing faith with patience—no matter how small the seed may seem.
A Lesson from Sacrament Breadcrumbs
When my son was young, he liked to sit on my lap during sacrament meetings.
He was often wiggly, bored, or sleepy—or some combination of all three—which meant he’d be squirming around, messing with my jewelry, or demanding I rub his back.
But none of this tested my patience as much as his quirky habit with the sacrament bread: he would break off the tiniest of pieces and eat them slooooowly—one mouse-sized bite at a time—dropping specks of crumbs all over my lap in the process.
I often told him that he should eat the whole thing all at once, but one day, I cracked and said: “Eat the whole thing quickly, or I’ll take it away.” No sooner had these words passed through my lips than the Spirit corrected me: No, that’s not right.
And it wasn’t.
I wouldn’t—and shouldn’t—take the sacrament bread away from my son. Even and especially when he was not partaking of it as quickly as I would have liked.
Do I Hurry People on the Covenant Path?
The experience sparked a sudden realization in me: do I, by my impatience, ever try to hurry someone through their walk along the covenant path?
Do I rush them in their repentance process? Insist their gospel learning should be at a sprint? Look at someone dealing with grief, pain, or a faith crisis and say: “Why haven’t you gotten over this yet?” or “Why haven’t you moved on?”
Do I do this to myself?
Thankfully, the Lord doesn’t. If studying the gathering of Israel has taught me anything, it’s that God plays a long game. Here we are, some 2,700 years after Isaiah prophesied the gathering of Israel, and we’re still just beginning.
It’s OK to partake slowly.
Stay at the Tree
Sister Tamara W. Runia reminded us that when our loved ones leave the covenant path or struggle to stay on it, we should “‘stay at the tree, keep eating the fruit and, with a smile on [our] face, continue to beckon to those [we] love and show by example that eating the fruit is a happy thing.’”
“In these last days, perhaps our greatest work will be with our loved ones—good people living in a wicked world,” she explained. “Our hope changes the way they see themselves and who they really are. And through this lens of love, they’ll see who they will become.”
So, if someone you love can only handle one tiny, mouse-sized bite at a time, that’s OK. The Lord can work miracles with only a particle. A mustard seed. A crumb.
Be patient with others. Be loving. Slow your pace when you need to. The Savior will walk with you as you walk with your loved ones.
One small step at a time.
For more uplifting content, check out the articles below:
▶ The Hebrew word for joy you’ll wish you knew sooner
▶ This hidden gem in Doctrine and Covenants is the ultimate comfort scripture
▶ When we aren’t given a miracle: What one grieving mother is learning about trust in the Lord
