So, Monday I was doing the evening Bible reading with my children. The passage we shared was the well-known one about the loaves and fishes. Jesus and his disciples faced the daunting task of feeding the thousands of people who had come to hear Jesus speak, to spend time in His presence. Just like my children and me in our reading of the account, they were seeking truths, understanding, knowledge, guidance.
Anyway, our tradition in what my children have dubbed "Hall Time," because we meet for the activity in the large hallway between our bedrooms, is for each person to take a turn explaining what he or she gained or learned from the Bible reading. On Monday, the kids talked of Jesus performing a miracle, the importance of following Jesus, and the necessity of faith; all excellent commentary on the passage.
When my turn came around, I was hit by a sudden epiphany; a very simple message that I had missed so many times before, but that is quite salient in these lean economic years. And it hinges on what Jesus did before He performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand with only five loaves and two fishes.
He gave thanks. He did not despair in the critical shortage of food, but instead thanked His Father for what little He had. I concentrated on that singular, often overlooked detail. He thanked God, then He fed the masses.
It is when we dwell on all that we are deprived of that we starve, that we feel empty, that we hunger, that we feel want. When we thank God for what we have, we always have enough. And enough is as good as a feast.
Anyway, our tradition in what my children have dubbed "Hall Time," because we meet for the activity in the large hallway between our bedrooms, is for each person to take a turn explaining what he or she gained or learned from the Bible reading. On Monday, the kids talked of Jesus performing a miracle, the importance of following Jesus, and the necessity of faith; all excellent commentary on the passage.
When my turn came around, I was hit by a sudden epiphany; a very simple message that I had missed so many times before, but that is quite salient in these lean economic years. And it hinges on what Jesus did before He performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand with only five loaves and two fishes.
He gave thanks. He did not despair in the critical shortage of food, but instead thanked His Father for what little He had. I concentrated on that singular, often overlooked detail. He thanked God, then He fed the masses.
It is when we dwell on all that we are deprived of that we starve, that we feel empty, that we hunger, that we feel want. When we thank God for what we have, we always have enough. And enough is as good as a feast.
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