From The Mud Puddle

Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he passed the bread to the people, and he did the same with the fish, until everyone had plenty to eat.
The people ate all they wanted, and Jesus told his disciples to gather up the leftovers, so that nothing would be wasted. The disciples gathered them up and filled twelve large baskets with what was left over from the five barley loaves. John 6:11-13

Jesus took what was before him, the bread and the fish...and giving thanks began to pass it around to the people that had been hearing him teach. While obviously, at first glance, there is not enough food to go around to the 5000 men and the additional women and children that were there that day. Still and yet, Jesus gave thanks to God and passed it around anyway. God made it stretch and last. What seemed severely not enough became enough, more than enough even. In this Jesus gave thanks, even for what didn't seem like enough at first view. God has the ability to provide above and beyond our thoughts and ways. We may or may not know how God is going to provide or going to make what we have be enough, or even more than enough...but we can trust that somehow it is. Perhaps it is just as simple as trusting God with our own loaves and fishes and saying thank you for what we do have, we are blessed beyond enough in other ways as a peace surrounds our hearts and minds and circumstances. What seemed impossible at the time to the disciples quickly became possible in God's hands. What seemed to be not enough, became enough to overflowing.

Sometimes as I compare my checkbook balance to the bills and obligations that I have I am struck by what seems to be an obvious sense of there not being enough to go around as it needs to. Things break, things fall apart, bills come due and people get sick. Even so tonight, thank you God for what I do have. Thank you for providing this daily bread, not only in my tummy but in my heart and soul and mind by your word. I know it is enough, even bounty overflowing. Somehow in your ways and means you provide what I really need...You!

posted by Muddy at 9:58 PM