A friend of mine gave me some acorns, with the idea that I would make them into prayer beads. I tipped them out and there, amongst them all, was an acorn with a crack in its golden shell and the palest green shoot beginning to sprout.
This acorn knew exactly what it was; knew why God had created it and what God intended it to be and wasn’t going to let a few hundred miles and the total absence of either light, soil or water from distracting it from its purpose. It was on a growing curve; one inch to 100 plus feet in however many years it may take. It had to start somewhere and the paper bag was enough.
Faith, true faith, doesn’t really ask for much either; just the time and opportunity to grow. To know who we are; to recognise our vocation; to desire, against all odds, to fulfil our calling; to find a place to realise that vocation. The strength of faith is that it may measure only an inch – but in its mind it is a hundred feet tall.