Size Doesn’t Matter
Matthew 13:31-32
Kid’s Day Message
July 22, 2001
Opening
I can remember when I was ten or eleven that I wanted to ride roller coasters at Cedar Point but the attendant said I was too small and needed to grow a little bit more before I could ride it. It really made me mad because I wanted to ride that roller coaster then and there.
Have you ever been told that you are too small to do certain things? What kinds of things are you too small to do?
In the movie, A Bug’s Life, Flik (Dave Foley) has a heart to heart chat with the little Princess Dot. Both Flik and Dot were having some difficulties “fitting in.” Flik had seen yet another idea and invention go down in flames for the sake of tradition and Dot was struggling with being too small and trying to fly. Flik takes the opportunity to share some wisdom with Dot about growing up and making a difference by using a rock from the ground and the massive tree on ant island.
Flik frantically searches for a seed for this practical lesson but can only find a rock and has the Princess use her imagination to pretend he has a seed. “See our tree, everything that made that tree is already contained in that tiny, little seed. All it needs is some time, a little bit of rain, sunshine and volia; it becomes a tree. You might not feel like you can do much now that’s because you’re not a tree yet. Just give yourself some time, you’re still a seed.”
Dot felt like she couldn’t do anything that really mattered because she was so small. Being small can be a good thing.
Do any of you like mustard on your hot dogs or hamburgers?
I love mustard! Does anybody know where mustard comes from?
(PASS OUT CARDS WITH MUSTARD SEEDS TAPED TO THEM)
Mustard comes from these tiny, little seeds. The mustard is one of the smallest, if not the smallest, of all the seeds in the world. They may look really small but they grow into a very large plant.
Jesus told a story about mustard seeds in the Bible and I’d like to share it with you today.
31 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32
Jesus teaches us three important lessons from this parable:
1. SIZE DOESN’T MATTER TO GOD
You will never be to small for God and, as a matter of fact, you’re just the right size for God to use you right now. God doesn’t care if you can’t reach the top shelf in the kitchen, tie your shoes just right or that you can’t ride roller coasters. God is more concerned with what you’re becoming, not with what size you are right now.
2. GOD WANTS YOU TO GROW
There is one way that God works the same in every person’s life. Do you know what it is? God always starts small and builds from there. God always wants to make the small larger just like a seed as it grows into a plant.
3. THERE IS NOTHING BEYOND YOUR ABILITY
Even though you might be small; God can still do great things through you. David wasn’t much older or larger, than some of you, here but God used him to defeat a giant named Goliath. When God is with you there isn’t anything you can’t do.
Conclusion
So, the next time you feel like you’re too small to do anything big or important. Remember the mustard seed and know that you’re just the right size for God.
