The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.
MARK 6:44
It never ceases to amaze me that God chooses to use people that other people do not count. In the story of the fish and the loaves, Scripture tells us that there were five thousand men counted on the mountain that day and yet God used the lunch of a little boy who had not been counted to perform a miracle. If you feel discounted, then perhaps you have the ingredients for a miracle right where you are.
Miracles are often produced not from the things that we count as useful to God — such as our accomplishments, qualifications, gifts, connections, heritage, and talents — but from things that we think do not count. God will use anyone who is willing to be used, regardless of whether or not others think they are qualified. He is not looking for our ability as much as he desires our availability. I have found that, more often than not, God has used me in particular situations simply because I have been the only available option he has. Never underestimate the power of willingness.
I wonder whether the little boy’s mother thought that she was doing anything significant the morning she packed five loaves and two fish into her son’s lunchbox. Undoubtedly, she had done the same thing countless times before, but because she was faithful with the task she had been assigned, she too was part of a miracle. Never underestimate the significance of where you are and what you do. As this story illustrates, you do not need to be a famous celebrity or gifted athlete or highly educated person to do a small thing with much love that will yield a mighty harvest.
You matter to God. Your contribution to his kingdom does count, so do not let anyone devalue you or your contribution. I think that there were many lunches in that crowd on the hill that day, but there was only one boy who offered his and therefore became a part of a miracle.
We are so often overwhelmed by the magnitude of a need that we don’t do anything because we can’t do everything. God is not asking any one of us to do everything, but simply to do something — and then he will do the rest. The ingredients for a miracle are always in our midst, but we must release them to God — however small they may seem — so that he has something to work with. Let’s decide today that we will put our little into the hands of a big God and watch him do the impossible with it.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
What do you have in your midst that you could offer to God to multiply, even though you may think it does not really count?