enough

I was recently in a discussion with a friend about the biblical passage where Jesus feeds the hungry crowds with just a few loaves and fishes. One of the questions we batted about was, “Would we be willing to give up our ‘loaves and fishes’ if God asked for them?” We also wondered what the loaves and fishes are, exactly?

We had the overwhelming sense, not that we wanted to hoard our talents/offerings or whatever it was that we felt we might have to give, but more that our loaves and fishes are unworthy, insufficient, “not enough.”

And, after pondering the point together… the funny thing is... we realized that the biblical loaves and fishes were also NOT ENOUGH! That is what made Jesus’ multiplication a MIRACLE! The few little fish and loaves could never have fed the five-thousand! It was insufficient-- not enough! And yet Jesus used those measly loaves and fishes anyway! Only in His hand could what we have to offer ever be enough!

I know that, if I look at myself, I do not see anything worthy of serving or offering to Him or to you. I could not really even call what I have “loaves and fishes.” I call my best efforts something closer to “fish food.” BUT! I have humbly offered it to Him with great love and have been very excited to hear that it seems to be touching hearts, much to my great surprise and delight!

Praise be to God! How freeing to know that what He has given us is always enough when placed in His hands to be used by Him. All we are asked to do is to offer it to Him, and then He will do with it as He sees best. We need not even worry about the results. They are literally all in His hands.

What is it that God has placed on your heart to offer back to Him? He never gives us a gift or a talent to be kept for ourselves. It is only in the offering that we get to see a miracle happen. He can take what He has given you and make it “enough.”

My prayer for you (and for me) is that we will not look with human eyes at what we have, or worse yet--don’t have, but that we will respond to what He is asking us to do.

I bet that the little boy who offered his lunch to Jesus never dreamed we would still be talking about his bagels and lox two-thousand years later! You just never know when or where God will ask you to step forward. When He does, will you hold back because you are “not enough” or will you act in faith and know that, in the Master’s Hands,”not enough” is more than enough?

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”’ Matthew 19:26

Dear Lord,

Help me to not look with my human eyes at what appears to be “not enough”; but instead, with eyes of faith, trust in You. If You call me to do something, You will provide all I need to do it. Thank You that You are the God of Miracles! And You want to work miracles in and through me by making my “insufficiency” sufficient to Your great Glory and my great good.

“Jesus, I trust in You!”

I ask this in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.