More Than Enough

The waves gently rocked his boat, salty water and fish guts lapping against his ankles. Leaning back his head, the sea air filled his lungs, and the sun’s warm rays soothed his wearied brow. The big red ball penetrated through his closed eyelids.

He tried to clear his head, to focus just on the red, but the ache in his heart betrayed him.
His cousin baptized him in this very sea, just a few years ago. Now he’s gone, dead. Murdered. Beheaded by the drunken king.

The rocking of the boat became more erratic nearly tipping him off the side. Jolted back to reality, his eyes opened to jagged rocks. Quickly maneuvering, he was not surprised by the large crowd assembled on shore. An hour ago, he put out to sea in an attempt to avoid them. He wanted some time alone. Time to reflect. Time to heal and mourn.

Swinging the oars into the boat, he pulled himself up and stepped over the side into the cold sea. His sandals got sucked up by the cold mush. The next wave swelled up releasing them just enough to yank his foot out. Peter rushed out to anchor the boat. Their eyes met, and Jesus put a gentle knowing hand on Peter’s shoulder.

The crowd surrounded him before he stepped on dry land, and he immediately began the work of teaching and healing.

The pit in his stomach and the ache in his heart reminded him – he needed to be refreshed by time with his Father. Instead he spent the day teaching and healing the people He was sent to serve.

ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ

Off to the west, a small sliver of the sun remained, and Andrew quickly scanned the crowd. His master was still hard at work. Catching the attention of Philip and Simon, Andrew pointed off to the west with a slight nod. Looking out over the valley, the sea of people reached as far as the eye could see. Their needs endless.

Together they pulled Jesus aside and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

Jesus said, “Don’t send them away; you give them something to eat.”

They tried to reason amongst themselves how to feed such a large crowd in this place without resources, and finally decided to ask Jesus if they should go into the nearest village and buy enough bread.

Jesus instructed them to go and see what they had on hand.

Walking through the crowd, Andrew felt a tug on his arm. “Sir, I have some bread and a few fish.”

Placing a hand on the boy’s head, his first thought was to thank him, but instruct him to take it back to this family.

Instead, he remembered what Jesus had said … to see what they had on hand. So he took what was clearly not enough to Jesus. “Here’s what we’ve found.”

The boy stood just behind Peter, but his straining head never lost sight of his basket. What was this man going to do? This Jesus everyone’s been talking about.

They all watched as he opened the basket.

With a smile, he took what was not enough. He accepted it. Seeing its value, He did not discard it. He was thankful for it. He didn’t see what was not enough to feed the crowd. He saw that this was exactly what he asked for, what they had on hand.

With both hands, he lifted the basket high. His eyes followed, then looked beyond the clouds to something no one else could see. He looked as if he were looking at an old friend.

All were entranced.

He blessed the meal, gave thanks for it, and then he broke it. He took the already not enough and made it even smaller. In order for it to be used, it needed to be broken.

Still nothing changed. The crowd was massive and the food was not.

But Jesus took the small, blessed, broken meal and gave it over for use. He took Andrew and the others aside, instructing them feed the crowd with a boy’s lunch.

Here is where the change happened … Here’s where the miracle took place.

He gave it over for service.

He handed each of the twelve a basket overflowing.

It was multiplied and changed from not enough to more than enough. Each family and group received what they required. The baskets seemed to never empty.

The boy’s small dinner not only fed the crowd but twelve baskets remained to feed the twelve. All ate and were satisfied. The power and glory of God was seen that night.

Jesus used the “not enough” but didn’t see the “not enough”. He saw the potential of the weak and the failing and the mustard seed faith.

God still does this today. God takes your little bit of faith. He takes your seemingly insignificant gift and as you let go of it, uses it for every good work.

It’s not just sufficient but abounds.

You are enough because you are a child of the King.

The Father showers you with his amazing, abundant grace, and is asking you to use it for a purpose that you don’t see how it could possibly be sufficient.

That is what being content in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities are all about. He takes our weaknesses, blesses us, breaks us and multiplies our efforts providing abundantly for our every need.

If you knew God was going to use your weakness but not see your weakness, then you would actually be content with that weakness. You would expect that God would give sufficient and abundant grace to multiply your meager efforts.
Wow! Won’t that make you shout, “For when I am weak, then I am strong!”?

Faith and contentment in all that you do – that is the peace that surpasses understanding. To rest in the knowledge that all you do is always enough.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. Theodore Roosevelt

The Flying Lessons
Really live, now.
Breathe as deeply as you can, today.

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