moments I’ m always reminded of the story where Christ fed five thousand people on a hillside. The account is in all four gospels, but Mark gives a detail that the others miss. Understanding that one simple detail, the question Christ asks His friends(“ What do you have?”), has shifted my entire perspective on ministry.
In biblical times, only the men were counted in a crowd so, if you had five thousand men there must have been at least nine or ten thousand people, adding in women and children. That’ s an arena-size crowd. Do you think in a crowd of that size the only food available was the little boy’ s lunch? I don’ t think so. I imagine that no one else offered up their food, either because they didn’ t think it would be enough or they didn’ t want to share. The only one to give was the little boy with five small barley loaves and two little fish. He gave what was clearly not enough and then Jesus did what only He can do.
It was a miracle on the hillside that day but the principle applies to us as well. We’ ll never have enough to fulfill all the demands made on us, but that’ s okay. We’ re not supposed to have enough. We’ re supposed to bring what we have, our clearly not enough, to Jesus and ask Him to meet us where we are.
When we give Jesus our not enough He blesses it and breaks it and He feeds His people. Understanding that principle has shifted something deep inside me. I will never have enough to touch the needs of everyone in a crowd, whether it’ s a crowd of fifty or a crowd of ten thousand but I’ m not asked to. Jesus simply asked me,“ What do you have?”
There are so many places where we need the grace of an everyday miracle. Are you struggling as a mom? Perhaps you have three kids all needing to be at different places at the same time and it’ s overwhelming. Many days you feel
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