"When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, 'This is a deserted place, and the
hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country
and villages and buy something to eat.' But he answered them,
'You give them something to eat.'"
- Matthew 14: 15 - 16
Enterprises often fail because they run out of money.
However, dwindling resources are not the cause of most failure.
They often indicate a lack of clear vision, purpose, direction and faith.
After a long day of teaching and preaching in a remote location Jesus'
students came to him with a dilemma. It was getting late and there wasn't a
convenient place for folks to find something to eat. The disciples believed it
was time to disband the meeting. Jesus saw the situation differently.
There was no need to dismiss the crowd. It was time to take inventory and pray.
Supplies were modest; a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish.
It seemed ridiculous to believe that the gift of enough could come
from such a modest offering.
A lot of us have faced this moment in our personal and professional lives.
A lot of our faith communities find themselves in this predicament.
It's the reality of many people right now. A ton of need and a few pounds of resources.
Jesus challenges us to look at our own loaves and fish.
He calls us to focus on what we have, not on what we lack.
I don't know how everyone got fed that day, but I imagine it has something to
do with Jesus opening the eyes of his students and followers. In their need, Jesus
revealed the abundant life in the Kingdom of Heaven. A heaven that was not
somewhere else, but real and present among the gathered faithful. A kingdom
in which everyone had a role to play and something to offer.
A place where engaged faith is enough.
Lack of resources can be frightening and discouraging. When the students and
followers of Jesus take lean times as a call to prayer and action, miracles happen.
On this day, may what we lack inspire us to focus on what we
have and where we are. In faith and prayer the Kingdom of Heaven
will be revealed and we will be blessed with the gift of enough.
