She just packed the lunch.
If we’ve been friends here for a while, you may have picked up on this fact:
I do not like to cook.
Cooking is a stressor that causes my neck to blotch, my face to turn crimson, and the tears to fall. (Actually, they gush.)
So. Every single time I read the story of Jesus feeding 5,000+ people, I am stunned. I mean, really. Stunned.
Cooking for one sends me into overwhelm.
Here’s a recap (Matthew 14:13-21):
Jesus had spent the day healing crowds of people. The Bible says he “had compassion on them,” which tells us that there was a lot of care and emotion that went with the healing miracles! It also tells us that there were 5,000 men PLUS women and children. That’s a whole lot of people.
When evening came, the disciples suggested they go away to someplace quiet and send the crowds away to get themselves some food.
(Do you suppose this was the disciples’ way of telling Jesus that they were tired and hungry and ready for the crowds to go home? Yea. I think so too.)
But Jesus had a better idea. He told the disciples to just feed the people right there.
Can you even imagine what the disciples were thinking?
They started fretting and wringing their hands because they didn’t have the food. Philip complained, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
But another disciple, Andrew, started thinking outside the box, bringing a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish into the conversation (while still wondering how far that would go).
And then …
Jesus made it work. Everyone ate and they gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. Wow.
Of course, the miracle was amazing, right?
And every time I read this story, I am amazed by the influence of someone who wasn’t even there.
Someone who was not a main character in the story. Someone the disciples didn’t know about.
The little boy’s mama.
She got up early that morning and packed her son a lunch. She had no idea that it would be used to feed 5,000+ people. She had no idea she would be part of a miracle.
That mama just did what she could do. She did what came naturally. The action wasn’t glamorous. But she was faithful.
She did what was right in front of her.
Are you wondering what God wants you to do next?
That question usually implies a “big” what to do next, right?
It’s easy to get caught up in all the What if’s…
What if this isn’t what God really wants me to do?
What if it doesn’t work out?
What if I’m not ready?
I get it. I’ve been there more times than I can count.
AND …
God knows your heart. Your desire to do what He wants you to do.
Sometimes, we need to just take a step in a specific direction … get up and go.
Do something.
God’s bigger than any mistake you can make when it comes to determining what He’s got next for you.
Trust HIM to keep you on the path He’s prepared for you.
So. How about this …
As you wait for the big plan or direction, just do the thing in front of you.
Just pack the lunch.
Why? Because it matters.
P.S. I’d love to hear what you think your “doing next” might be! Pack a lunch? Write a book? Drop me a quick note – even if it’s still in the dreaming or planning stage. I care about this for you.
