Article February 20, 1995 Issue

Not too meager to feed the multitude

Carol Rockhold Miller

Have you ever wondered what you would have done if you had been faced with a multitude of hungry people as Christ Jesus and his disciples were? Would you even have offered up your few loaves and fishes as a young man in the crowd did? After all, what are they in the face of such a large gathering?

There are so many lessons we can learn from this Bible narrative. Once when pondering it, I suddenly saw that at Jesus' request the disciples brought to him their meager sense of what was available and he blessed, that is, uplifted it, and gave it back to them to give to the hungry men, women, and children. They all ate and were filled! If our understanding of God seems to us limited, we can, with hearts full of gratitude and expectation, turn thought to the ever-present Christ. Our understanding is uplifted and blessed, and we are enabled to share more effectively, and others' needs as well as our own are cared for.

What a freeing inspiration this was—and is! We don't care for ourselves spiritually or help others through our own ability or inspiration, but we can turn unreservedly to the Christ for strength and spiritual insight. Jesus assured us, "Lo, I am with you alway" (Matt. 28:20). We see that the Christ, the very presence of God, which Jesus represented and demonstrated, is truly with us. Then we behold the allness of divine Love expressing itself and meeting needs in tangible, wonderful ways.