Day 16 – What can we start with what we have?
Mark 6:30-44
The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 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 that 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 more than half a year’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 distribute to 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.
Bern Leckie writes:
“I can’t ________________________ because I haven’t got ___________________”
How many ways can we fill in the blanks here, and how much does this define us?
When I think about how much I haven’t done for what seems like really good reasons to me, I feel an odd mixture of regret and relief. I might have missed out on something amazing, but at least I didn’t fail and get all embarrassed or let anyone down. I might also get some satisfaction from being right in my assessments that I know how stuff works and what I can’t do.
I love how Jesus challenges that. In this account, he doesn’t argue with, scold or even try to correct his followers, and if he gave them A Really Good Motivational Speech, I can’t see it here.
He simply got them started on something they could easily do – go and see what they had. Then they got on with what they would do practically if it were enough, while Jesus gave thanks. (Note: there are no special words recorded that we need to know, but I expect that Jesus’ followers follow Jesus in giving thanks too.)
“I can start ____________________ because I’ve got __________________. Thank you, God!”
After that, it’s not about avoiding failure, but accepting it, the way Douglas Adams describes the knack of flying as “learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
What could you start today that, thank God, you fail to stop?