Again [Jesus] said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.
- Mark 4:30-31
 
An inauspicious beginning for this metaphor for the kingdom of God, isn’t it? The kingdom of God is like the smallest of seeds.
 
We so often associate bigness with goodness. Big bank accounts signal industriousness. Big armies signal safety. Big churches signal big blessings from God. But what if bigness isn’t the only reflection of goodness in the kingdom of God?
 
God’s good kingdom starts small. Just a seed. And not even a big seed.
 
And yet in that seed is life. That seed will go into the ground and transform and grow and become something else.
 
Michael Frost says: “In every seed there’s an orchard.” That’s true for apples, for mustard, and for the kingdom of God. We are a part of a kingdom that grows through exponential reproduction just as seeds become plants which produce new seeds who become new plants.
 
God isn’t afraid to start small. That’s how he always does it.
 
Take some time to praise God for the small ways you’ve seen his goodness breaking into your world today. Look for seeds and flowers. Look for small blessings. Look for brief conversations that lift up your heart. And give thanks to God for what you see.