Do You Have Enough For Everyone?

It was something that I was taught as a girl.
It was practiced and expected.
You never ate in front of someone if you were the only one eating.
If you had something to eat, you must have enough to share with everyone.

I remember playing outside and getting hungry.
I would go inside and grab a snack.
Before I even got to the door, my mother spoke; Do you have enough for everyone?
I would look down at my hand that just had enough food for me.

I went back to the kitchen and grabbed some more pretzels or another piece of fruit.
You had to have enough.
It was rude to eat with other people watching you.
It was expected that you would share.

The stories on the news were in direct conflict with my training.
People were hungry, children had distended stomachs, there was famine, and drought.
Someone somewhere had to have enough.
Why weren’t they sharing it?

I learned quickly that it wasn’t that simple.
When it involves nations and governments, the road is paved with red tape.
Money and food do not always go where it is intended.
Corrupt governments act corruptly.

One church can come together to shelter the homeless and feed the hungry.
One family can give to another family.
One individual can sacrificially give to another.
We don’t need red tape; we need open hands.

It is a matter of knowing their needs.
It is a matter of meeting their needs.

An award show just aired on television that recognizes the past year in film.
The audience was filled with beautiful gowns and sparkling jewels.
A small town could feed its people for months on the cost of a few necklaces alone.
The host offered pizza to everyone.

The audience laughed at the improbability.
Pizza delivered to a massive audience?
Who would pay? How could you possibly feed the entire auditorium?
My mother would have been ready with her question; Do you have enough for everyone?

Apparently not, since the actual deliveryman only had three boxes of pizza.
Only the few celebrities in the front were able to have a slice.
There was not enough for everyone.
My mother would not have been pleased.

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things. By this time it was late in the day, so His disciples came to Him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But He answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to Him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” “How many loaves do you have?” He asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five – and two fish.” Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks, and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. (Mark 6:34-44)

They all ate and were satisfied.
No one ate in front of other people who had nothing to eat.
There was enough for everyone.
There were twelve baskets left over.

In Jesus’ Hands, the little bit was more than enough.
In Jesus’ Hands, everyone was fed.
In Jesus’ Hands, everyone was satisfied.

Oh, what Jesus can do with our little bit!

There was nothing ostentatious about Jesus.
He didn’t perform a miracle in order to be noticed.
He didn’t do something so miraculous to call attention to Himself in any way.
Jesus always pointed to His Father.

People, who were in the back of the crowd, sitting on the green grass, were unaware.
They didn’t even know how the bread and the fish were supplied to them.
They were fed and that was all that mattered.
A miracle happened under their noses and they didn’t even know.

Jesus would have wanted it that way.
He did nothing for the praise and the glory.
He did everything to make His Father known.
When Jesus provides, there is complete satisfaction and rest.

The lesson I was taught as a girl was exactly what Jesus would have done.
Make sure there is enough.
Do what you can to feed and clothe and give shelter to those in need.
When you do that in a quiet way, you are acting most like Jesus.

We who have more than enough need to share.

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted towards toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. (Deuteronomy 15:7,8)

Be openhanded.
Do you have enough for everyone?
With your little bit, Jesus can feed the multitudes.