Thoughts on Bread

During my scripture study this morning, I came across one of the passages where Christ fed the multitude. It's amazing to me to try and mentally comprehend how this is possible. Five thousand persons. Five loaves of bread and two fishes! How can that really happen? How can that possibly be done? And then have an overabundance left over! My little brain cannot fully wrap around this miracle, still I know that it happened. I know it to be true.

As I was reading the beautiful account in Mark, I began thinking how I'm like a little loaf of bread: fluffy, delicious, homemade, a great accent to any dinner table, good-smelling, full of way too many calories...mmm-mmmmm...



Wait, no that's not what I was thinking!...I was thinking more along the lines of if those little loaves of bread could think, what do you think they'd be thinking?: "Wow! That's a LOT of people and I'm just little ole me." "You're gonna tear me into HOW MANY pieces?" "I sure hope everyone likes me and no one spits me out!" "How can I possibly be stretched out that thin." "You want me to do WHAT?" "Don't forget, I'm only one little loaf of bread." "Uh, are you sure about this, Master?" "Wait! You forgot the BUTTER!"

Still, Jesus Christ, Master of ALL MIRACLES took that little tiny loaf of bread and somehow gave it the strength to be stretched out and spread out and fulfill it's purpose in life: to bless the lives of thousands there at the hill, millions throughout history.

And sometimes, I feel like that little loaf of bread. Sometimes I look at life and stress out, thinking, "How can I possibly do all that is asked of me?" "How can I even think of taking on ONE MORE thing in my life?" "I'm only human, after all." "I sure hope everyone likes me and no one spits me out!" (I guess I'm more like a loaf of bread than I thought....)

Maybe no one else ever feels like this. I do, though. I do A LOT. And I just have to remember the scripture that reminds us, "Where much is given, much is required...." I've been given a lot. You've been given a lot. Therefore, the Lord expects a lot of us. And if we are being used for His purpose, He will somehow perform a miracle in our lives which will give us strength and energy to allow us to be spread in all the many directions He needs us to in order to bless the lives of others, which in turn will bless the lives of others, which in turn will bless the lives of, that's right, others.

Sooooo.....

Be a loaf of bread. Be any flavor of that yummy stuff you want: be rye or the kind sprinkled with seeds or whole wheat or sourdough or pumpernickel or banana or plain ol' white. But whatever you do, make sure, that you allow yourself to be shaped and molded in the hands of Christ...and then when He asks something of you that seems impossible, something you think you're less than adequate for, something you feel will completely overwhelm you, something that would take nothing less than a miracle, then turn your life to Him and see how He will sustain your efforts to make it be enough.