What can come from a tiny mustard seed?
Come Spring, planting season begins. Farmers work and plow the fields preparing the soil to welcome the seeds. Gardeners select the veggies and flowers that best suit their families and their eyesight. All in hopes for a great produce through the summer, with farmers’ harvest, come fall. With a perfect foundation, a shielded dwelling, and the right nurturing and love a tiny seed can evolve into something spectacular. Mother nature has us on hold through the cold season, only to erupt in a frenzy to get things planted at the right moment. Making sure all aspects of growth are in place. The weather is good, the water supply is enough and we are able to nurture it.
Like the tiny seeds we place in the soil, we can place many seeds all year. We must be open to understanding that we carry these seeds to plant throughout our lives. I now recognize the seeds I planted years ago when I look at my now-ad
ult children. I am finally starting to see that at a very young age seeds of love, seeds of hope, seeds of growth, seeds of strength, and seeds of confidence were being planted in them.
Through life, we are blessed with the ability to plant seeds in all areas of our journey. And at the same time, we are blessed to experience seeds planted within us. Seven years ago, I coached ten 11-year-old girls on a youth basketball team, and I can tell you that in 6 weeks I planted more seeds in those girls than they even knew of. More seeds than I even knew of, until now. As a senior in High School, I witnessed the seed of confidence in one girl who had none.
Unlike the seeds that we place in the soil, seeds of hope, joy, strength, and seeds of FAITH can be planted all year long. As a widow, I encourage you to hold onto hope, joy, strength, and faith even if it is only the size of a mustard seed. That is enough to produce growth within you. It is when we are in the depths of our grief, we feel empty as if we have lost and will never gain any of it back.
But I am here to tell you… or to plant the mustard seed of hope in you, by understanding that this is a difficult time, and I am standing beside you with empathy. Grace is surrounding you and there is a day coming filled with the purest of joy. And when that day strikes don’t fear what you are feeling. Your amazing husband never wanted you to live a life without joy in it. He wants you to share that beautiful smile. What you have been through and to be here reading this blog only shows the strength you are carrying. Stop doubting yourself, although you are crying and feel weak, and the tears may seem to never stop… that my friend is strength!
Hold onto that mustard seed of faith, even though you may be angry. God knows you are angry; He is patiently waiting by your side and will not leave you. He knows that that tiny mustard seed of faith will blossom into an extraordinary testimony one day. For those that might just be on hold in the “cold season”, just like Mother Nature, it is about to erupt for you.
Matthew 17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Love and Blessings
** Mark your calendars! Hope For Widows Foundation’s annual virtual Widows of Hope 5K event has returned on Friday, May 12 through Sunday, May 14, 2023. Anyone can join! Everyone is welcome to participate whether you are a widow, widower, or a friend/family member showing support or walking in the loss of another family member. The proceeds will directly support widows through the annual financial Restoring Hope and Peace Grants, Sunshine Boxes program, and Bring Hope Holiday Assistance Program. Do you have or know a business that would like to sponsor? That’s an option too!
To register and frequently asked questions- please go here:
http://getmeregistered.com/WidowsofHope5K
About Jacki Corta
Jacki Corta is a motivational speaker, intuitive life, and grief coach along with the founder and CEO of Strength > Struggle™. The brand she discovered after traveling the journey of cancer with her husband. She started the Strength>Struggle™ crusade, helping others find their inner strength during some of the scariest times. In 2014, her husband, Douglas was diagnosed with Glioblastoma brain cancer and 20 months later passed away, giving Jacki a new title… Widow. It is Jacki’s mission to share her story with the world and how it can positively impact others in whatever they may face. It is a story of unexplainable strength in life’s most challenging storms, overcoming adversity and finding hope while traveling the difficult path her life took.
It is her ability to communicate and willingness to be vulnerable that connects with her clients and audiences. Jacki believes her purpose here is to impact as many souls as possible showing them that through even the darkest days there is a glimpse of light to grab onto for them to find their strength. Jacki will empower, challenge, and give you a new outlook on your own story.
She is a mother of three adult girls and a Mimi to two beautiful granddaughters. You can follow more of her story and inspiration on Instagram @jackicorta or listen to her podcast Jacki Has a Voice on Spotify.