Rarely are there any leftovers.
The dinner hour screams through and by the time my kitchen closes down for the evening — dishes done, counters wiped, garbage emptied — there’s hardly a crumb.
And if there does happen to be an odd bit left, it’s usually gone by 9 pm when the bedtime snackers re-enter, re-open and re-mess up said kitchen.
I’d call them mice, but they are teenagers.
And there’s absolutely nothing mousey about a teen who grows two inches each day and wears a size 11 shoe. Nothing minuscule about them at all. They don’t nibble, they gnaw. They don’t scurry, they scavenge. They’re not mice, they’re mammoths. And, what’s more, they bring friends.
With five children in the house, we have no problem getting rid of groceries. Even a trip to Costco isn’t enough. I can fill my cart with oversized boxes of everything. One hundred cheese sticks and the XL two-pack of peanut butter should make it through the week. I toss in an 84-count of whatever and feel hopeful piling copious amounts of convenience foods into my cart.
Costco is not for the breezy shopper in espadrilles. Costco is for combat boots. There’s no petite packaging; they sell by the vat, the barrel, the bucket-full.
I’m not really worried about the feeding of the five children, though.
I’m wondering what we’re pushing around in our lives that never seems like enough.
It’s easy to bring what we have to the table and yet still feel insufficient — even insignificant.
Because often what we do bring isn’t enough. We try to stretch it by the strength of our own hands and with the power of our positive attitudes, but when we lay it out we’re astounded by its diminutive size.
Our stuff can feel like nothing when placed near great need.
Like the boy who had five barley loaves and two small fish in the face of 5,000. It didn’t take a disciple to see it wasn’t nearly enough. It was too little, laughable, ludicrous right from the start.
Except Jesus was a guest at dinner that day.
And when Jesus is invited to sit at our table He changes proportions.
Jesus multiplies the minuscule.
“Make the people sit down,” He said. I can barely get my five to sit still at our table, and yet in one biblical sentence, the disciples seat 5,000 men. Regardless of what Jesus was about to do with bread and fish, His success in seating is miracle enough for this woman.
However, Jesus didn’t come to dinner to help with the seating arrangement. He was there to demonstrate a great lesson in what He can do with just a little.
What He can do with our little.
“The boy had five small loaves of barley bread and two small fishes.” With 5,000 people to feed, it wouldn’t have mattered if the lad had pulled all of Costco out of his pocket. God makes it clear they were small loaves and small fish — breadsticks and minnows, maybe.
But God is in the small things.
He isn’t dependent on how much we bring.
He makes much of our meager.
“My grace is sufficient for you …” 2 Corinthians 12:9
And no matter how little we are, or have, or bring … He is enough.
But don’t skip over the ending. “They filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.”
Friends — after feeding 5,000, there were leftovers!
Leftovers!
Jesus is not JUST enough. Jesus is MORE than enough.
Leave a Comment
Sharon says
Wow! What a great insight. Thank you for your words.
jody mcnatt says
thank you sharon!
Lauren@SimplyLKJ says
Beautiful post Jody!
jody mcnatt says
glad you found this sweet lauren — thanks!
Marty says
Love this! Thank you so much for sharing your insights this morning!
jody mcnatt says
you’re welcome marty! =)
Amanda Antunes says
It’s in the small things we find the spice of life … leftovers, crumbs! Your message inspires me to thank our Lord for messengers like you – blessed to be a blessing …
jody mcnatt says
yes, the crumbs! how we can take them for granted sometimes…let’s choose to look at them differently. God uses everything … all of it.
nina ruth says
You’ll never know how timely and WONDERFUL this word is…and you are!! 🙂
Thinking of the old song, “Little is Much when God is in It!!” 🙂
love,
nina ruth
jody mcnatt says
i know that song! awesome.
Kathy @ In Quiet Places says
I am praying for God to multiply something in my life today, and these words encourage me to believe He will!
jody mcnatt says
never liked my multiplication tables in grade school … but sure do love when God MULTIPLIES His grace in my life these days. completely dependent on HIM who does this good work … it’s mercy. it’s mystery. it’s His message of love. He is always ENOUGH.
Lis says
Great analogy.
jody mcnatt says
thanks!
Patty Muich says
I miss the days of feeding teens so I really loved your post. I realize that was not the message 🙂 but it brought back fond memories.
So many times I feel meager… learning that God does not care. He can make much of me 🙂
Love, Patty
jody mcnatt says
HE does make much of our meager! we need to be reminded. xoxo
Kate says
Ah yes.
Beautiful read.
One i needed today – trying to fill mouths, and juggle a schedule.
Yes, yes, yes. Thank you!
Kind Blessings,
Kate 🙂
jody mcnatt says
kate, i know that filling-mouths-and-juggling-schedule-thing well…i get it and what’s more, God’s GOT IT. praying today His grace abounds and spills into your busy day!
Lisa says
Beautifully written…thank you
jody mcnatt says
thanks lisa! =)
Katie S says
Thank you; this was a beautiful encouragement today as I prepare to be a first-time mom and my husband and I fret over the budget and think of all that’s not there. But Jesus IS there, and He will be more than enough in our home!
jody mcnatt says
aww katie … just reading that phrase “first time mom” gives me goose bumps. hooray for you! there’s nothing like it girl. n o t h i n g! praise be to HIM for this blessing called motherhood. it will stretch you…your budget…your tummy…and your faith. beautiful stretching. grace.
Holley Gerth says
I’m so glad God not only supplies but multiplies too! Whew. That takes so much of the pressure off us. 🙂
jody mcnatt says
i know, holly, freedom when we finally see! … it’s not about our meager … but about the mystery of Jesus’ MUCH. sufficient. enough. abundant. amen. xoxo
Shelli Littleton says
Beautiful! And I’m feeling a tad bit thankful for just two girls. But … one day, I hope to have boys around. The girls are teens now! Blessed by you.
jody mcnatt says
love teen girls! have two of my own. blessings sweet shelli!
Kellie says
I could read the loaves and fishes story over and over. It never ceases to open my eyes.
jody mcnatt says
i know! i feel the same way. it amazes me more today as a mother … just doesn’t seem to work that way at my table … or does it? =)
Beth Williams says
Thanks for a great message. Sometimes it feels like all I do is meager tasks at work. It is amazing to realize that God takes those meager tasks multiplies and uses them for the greater good of the clinic.
Just bring your small amount, little bit, whatever you have and do it wholeheartedly and God will multiply them into something huge!
jody mcnatt says
“just bring your small amount…whatever you have…” YES! that’s what He asks, what He wants. “bring righteous offerings, and trust the Lord!” ~ psalm 4:5
Valerie Hohenberger says
Wonderful post! Sometimes we all need to be reminded that “when God is in it, little is more than enough!”
jody mcnatt says
i think that’s why i wrote this post … i am so in need of that reminder right now in my own life! praise Him for His provision … His abundance in our lack.
Jennifer says
So often we become caught up in the big things that we forget He is in ALL things great and small, especially the small. This is a wonderful post with a beautiful reminder! Thank you for being faithful to write it!
Rebekah says
Jody, I resonated with this so much. I have been stuck in a rut for so long trying to keep up and make sure I am doing enough trying to raise five little kids (four boys, not teenagers yet, but I can already see the grocery bill creeping significantly these days, not anticipating leftovers either!)
After feeling so worn down these past ten years, physically, emotionally, spiritually, doing the same thing over and over every single day, I wonder how in the world I am going to be able to keep doing it. Where is all this energy, wisdom, patience, etc going to come from to raise these kids??? I wrote something very similar to this a few months ago using the same story of Jesus with the 5,000! I am amazed that God has used this same story to give encouragement to mothers like us.
Ever since writing this and coming to that realization that yes, indeed, there WILL be enough, because with Christ there is ALWAYS enough AND MORE! How exciting! I cannot help but smile with delight, even as I wash the dishes for the zillionth time 🙂 It is truly Christ and Christ alone that is going to get us through those times of plenty and times of scarcity.
Thank you for sharing your words with so many.
http://hiddenwithyou.com/2013/08/23/more-than-enough/