Days Like This

…nothing…but five loaves and two fish. Matthew 14:3-21 Perhaps you’re one of the lucky ones, but I can remember days just like this. Except, in my house it was more like five slices of bread and two pieces of chicken! Okay – perhaps a bit exaggerated, but I will say that to this day I rarely order chicken when eating out. Nevertheless, there were times when things did get quite tight, but by the grace of God, we’ve never gone hungry. Jesus, even in his despair over John’s death has compassion for a crowd that longs to be fed. He will not send them away as his disciples suggest, merely out of their own limitation. The disciples don’t yet understand that to walk in the presence of God is to already be full. Jesus demonstrates that by lifting up our heart, hands, voice and all that we have in thanksgiving and praise, our limitations are transformed into sufficient abundance. To withdraw when in despair is a natural human response, yet a loving God calls us back that we may be filled and strengthened by his grace, knowing that through Christ we move forward and through Christ we have everything we need.