day 1211: Alot From Nothing

I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.

I am amazed at how excited Patti gets from the discount she gets off of her gas from her grocery shopping.  At our place in Rhode Island, Stop-n-Shop gives a discount on cost per gallon at participating gas stations.  The most I have seen the discount add up for redemption has been $.60/gallon.  A ten gallon fill up equals a $6.00 discount.  Not bad, or so it seems. To get to that $6.00, she has to spend $300.00 in groceries.  So, one way to look at it is that this value is really more like getting a 2% rebate.  The beauty of this program is that they have transferred a savings from something expected to something not expected. The point here is that for very little, the positioning has significant perceived value to the consumer.  It begs the question, what do we have in our business that when transferred to some other area where discounts, sales or rebates would be unusual, that it would be perceived as very high value. 

Faith is like this.  Jesus tells us that all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed to reap and receive any and all that we need.  If we approach all that we are faced, then we can reap so much from just a very little. What is it that stops us from perceiving and realizing the amazing value that God has given each of us through faith? 

Reference: Matthew 17:20 (New Living Translation)

day 839: Seed Stage

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in the field."

When I tell people I invest in companies at the "seed stage" they either immediately understand, or I have to explain to them what I personally mean by "seed stage". For me, a "seed stage" company is one where the business idea and the original team are encapsulated in a seed and planted just below the ground where it can't be yet seen. For anyone who has ever gardened, you know that this the most mysterious stage of growing. How can these little pellets turn out to be a big plant or vegetable? And, once they are in the ground it is all about doing our part of giving them protection from the elements, enough food and nutrients in the dirt, water and sunlight and then watching and waiting. That's what seed investing is like. It's funny, I know many investors who lose patience too quickly with a start-up and then force them to try and grow faster or differently than what they were intended. What I have learned is that sometimes you have to wait and be patient and with the right "gardening' and tending, they will come.

Jesus told us that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed. The mustard seed is the smallest of all and turns into a huge tree. But that mustard tree only grows at the pace that it is supposed to grow and if we someday want to sit within its' shade, we must wait. We must wait on the Kingdom of Heaven. God gives us glimpses along the way but He expects our faith to be strong enough that waiting for something miraculous is just fine with us. What has ever come from instant gratification? Not much that I can conjure up. Today is about another step forward in our journey to God's Kingdom. Let's make the most of today and do all that we can to purposefully work to bring glory to Him in what we do.

Reference: Matthew 13:31 (New Living Testament)