A Love That Keeps Growing
Today is a day of pure joy in our home: our youngest, Mickey, turns 1.
One year old.
One year of tiny hands, big smiles, sleepless nights, and the kind of love that rearranges your entire world in the best possible way.
Mickey is the youngest of our five children, and every single day we stand in awe of how fortunate and grateful we are that he is healthy, growing, and surrounded by love.
One year old.
One year of tiny hands, big smiles, sleepless nights, and the kind of love that rearranges your entire world in the best possible way.
Mickey is the youngest of our five children, and every single day we stand in awe of how fortunate and grateful we are that he is healthy, growing, and surrounded by love.
We get to pour out on him the same love we feel from our Creator and Provider every single day — steady, patient, extravagant, never-running-out love.
Watching him take his first wobbly steps, hearing his laughter fill the room, feeling his little arms wrap around our necks — it’s a daily reminder that children are one of God’s greatest gifts.
They teach us how to love without keeping score, how to forgive quickly, how to delight in the moment.
They grow us just as much as we grow them.
And here’s the beautiful part:
We get to build a business — The Inspiration Co. — that reflects that same love and light.
Every bracelet, every post, every story we share is a small mustard seed of hope, planted with the prayer that it grows into something that shades someone’s day, reminds them they are loved, and points them back to the Source of all love.
We are eternally grateful for every reader who opens these words, every person who engages with Inspiration Nation, every wrist that wears a reminder of God’s goodness.
We are eternally grateful for every reader who opens these words, every person who engages with Inspiration Nation, every wrist that wears a reminder of God’s goodness.
You are the reason we keep showing up.
Your encouragement, your stories, your quiet “yes” to spreading love — it multiplies.
Thank you for walking this road with us.
Thank you for believing in the mission to change the way the world thinks and loves — one positive thought, one act of gratitude, one wrist at a time.Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and the world will tell us love is loud, flashy, perfect.
But God’s love — the love we pour on Mickey, on our other four children, on each other, on you — is quieter, steadier, more real.
It grows from small beginnings.
It shows up in daily faithfulness.
And it changes everything.This Sunday Sanctuary, let’s rest in that love and let it grow in us.
It shows up in daily faithfulness.
And it changes everything.This Sunday Sanctuary, let’s rest in that love and let it grow in us.
A Sermon: The Mustard Seed of Love That Grows
Matthew 13:31-32 + Luke 15 (The Prodigal Son) Jesus loved telling stories about small things that become big.
He said the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed — the tiniest of seeds — planted in a field.
It grows into the largest of garden plants, a tree so big that birds come and perch in its branches (Matthew 13:31-32, NIV). That image is so simple, but it’s everything.
Love starts small.
A newborn’s first cry.
A whispered “yes” to God.
A daily choice to forgive.
A moment of gratitude when everything feels hard.
And yet — with God — that small seed grows into something that shades the world.Look at the prodigal son story in Luke 15.
The son asks for his inheritance early — basically saying, “I’d rather you were dead.”
The father lets him go.
The son wastes everything, ends up starving among pigs, and finally comes to his senses.
He rehearses a speech of apology, planning to beg for a servant’s place.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him — and ran.
The father didn’t wait for the speech.
He didn’t demand repayment.
He didn’t lecture.
He ran — undignified, extravagant, full of love — wrapped his son in his arms, kissed him, and called for a feast.
“This son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:24, NIV).That run is the mustard seed.
That embrace is the beginning of growth.
The father’s love didn’t wait for the son to prove himself.
It ran to him — right in the mess, right in the pigpen, right in the shame.
And that love grew into a celebration, a restoration, a new chapter.Jesus is showing us the Father’s heart:
He doesn’t love us because we’re clean.
He loves us so He can make us clean.
He doesn’t wait for us to grow up.
He runs to us so we can grow up in His love.
Mickey is one year old today.
One year of small moments: first smiles, first words, first steps.
Every single one is a mustard seed.
Every single one is God saying, “I’m growing love in this little life — and in yours too.”
We are so grateful for his health, his joy, his place as the youngest of our five children.
One year of small moments: first smiles, first words, first steps.
Every single one is a mustard seed.
Every single one is God saying, “I’m growing love in this little life — and in yours too.”
We are so grateful for his health, his joy, his place as the youngest of our five children.
He reminds us daily: love starts small, but with God, it grows into something that shades the world.
So here are the gentle questions only you can answer today:
not perfect,
not flashy,
but faithful, growing, life-changing.
Let it start small.
Let it grow.
Let it shade someone’s day — maybe even your own child’s, or someone else who needs to know they are loved.
- What small seed of love is God planting in your life right now — a child, a friendship, a quiet moment of gratitude?
- Where have you been tempted to think love has to be big and loud to matter?
- What would it look like to let God’s love run to you today — no performance, no conditions, just open arms?
not perfect,
not flashy,
but faithful, growing, life-changing.
Let it start small.
Let it grow.
Let it shade someone’s day — maybe even your own child’s, or someone else who needs to know they are loved.
Christian Faith Points
- Love starts small, but God makes it grow (Matthew 13:31-32 — mustard seed).
- God’s love runs to us first — before we’re ready or worthy (Luke 15:20 — the father runs).
- Our small “yes” to love becomes part of God’s big story (Luke 15:24 — “was dead and is alive again”).
- Marcus Reed – Texas Veteran Whose Love Grew Through Pain
Marcus, 45, came home from service carrying invisible wounds — PTSD, nightmares, guilt. He isolated himself for nearly two years, barely speaking to his wife and kids. He felt like “damaged goods.”
One Sunday a sermon on the prodigal son broke through: the father ran before the son could speak. Marcus felt God running to him — even in his mess. He started small: showing up to a veteran coffee meetup once a week. He listened more than he spoke. Then he shared a little. Then he started leading.
Today he runs a weekly mental health workshop for 200 veterans — teaching journaling, breathing, and faith-based resilience. His wife says she has her husband back. His kids say he’s present. Marcus says: “I thought love had to be earned. God showed me it’s given — and that love grew everything back together.” - Anjali Gupta – Mumbai Artist Whose Love Grew Through Loss
Anjali, 32, lost her gallery and confidence in 2024 when every piece she created felt hollow. She stopped painting, convinced she had nothing left to say. Habakkuk 2:3 became her lifeline: “The vision awaits its appointed time.”
She started small: sketching one mural on a slum wall near her old studio. Kids gathered. She gave them paint. Soon 150 youth were helping — turning gray concrete into color and hope. The project grew into a community art collective. Grants came. Exhibitions followed. Anjali’s art now hangs in public spaces across Mumbai.
She says: “I thought love had to be perfect. God showed me it just has to be given — and it grows into something that shades others.” - Lerato Mbatha – Johannesburg Student Whose Love Grew Through Pain
Lerato, 20, endured relentless bullying in high school — name-calling, exclusion, threats. It crushed her confidence and made her dread going to class. Joshua 1:9 became her anchor: “Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you.”
She started small: sharing her story in a school assembly. She expected silence or mockery. Instead, students approached her afterward — some crying, some thanking her. That moment birthed an anti-bullying campaign. She organized empathy workshops, role-playing sessions, and safe-space circles. Bullying incidents dropped 25%. Five schools adopted her program.
Lerato says: “I thought love was something I had to earn. God showed me it’s something I get to give — and it grew into purpose for others.”
How has love grown in your life? A small moment, a faithful act — Mickey’s first year reminds us love starts small and grows big. Share your story with our community, changing the world one wrist at a time.
Prayer or Reflection: Your Growing Heart
Find a quiet space. Breathe deeply (inhale 4, exhale 4). Reflect or pray, thanking God for His love that grows in you. Say, “Love grows where we give it room.” Rest for 7 minutes. Journal: Where is God growing love in me today?
A Commitment to Love That Grows
I commit to letting God’s love grow in me — small steps, faithful moments, open hands. With The Inspiration Co.’s mission, I’ll change the world — one growing moment, one wrist, one heart. Join me to grow together.
Sunday Sanctuary Challenge
Let love grow this Sunday! Try one:
- Share a Scripture or love story and discuss its impact with a friend.
- Spend 7 minutes reflecting, affirming “Love grows where we give it room.”
- Post your growing moment with #SundaySanctuary and #InspirationNation!
- Matthew 13:31-32: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…” (NIV).
- Luke 15:20: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son” (NIV).
- 1 Corinthians 13:7: “Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (NIV).
- Psalm 139:1-4: “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me” (NIV).
- John 15:11: “that your joy may be full” (NIV).
- Romans 8:38-39: “Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God” (NIV).
Share your growing love story with #SundaySanctuary and #InspirationNation. Post in the comments or social media to lift each other up, changing the world one wrist at a time.
