When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? John 6:5,9
A Little Boy’s Lunch
“Sure.” The little boy responds.
“How would you like to help me feed all these people with your lunch?”
“Sure, Mr. Jesus.” He answered.
Jesus stands and tells the disciples, “Make them sit…”
Then the little boy tugs on Jesus’s robe and asks, “Can me and mama still have some?”
“Of course” He replied. The boy gives his lunch to Jesus, and runs to his mother shouting,
“Mama, mama! Jesus said I’m gonna feed the world!”
Though the above was just an illustration of John 6:5-15 as I imagine it to have been; what we do know is that with only two fishes and five loaves of bread, after Jesus gave thanks and as the disciples distributed the food, an interesting phenomenon took place, the food multiplied. It was more than enough to feed over 10,000 people.
Jesus performed a great miracle that day and the disciples and the people experienced it first hand but I wonder how differently it may have turned out if that little boy hadn’t been there. For him it turned out to be a special day. Perhaps schools were canceled because word broke out that Jesus was teaching in town. Maybe it was a class field trip to attend Jesus teaching. So his mother had to pack his lunch. It was a defining moment for this child as he showed up with his lunch.
I believe we can learn something from this little boy that gives us insight relative to pursuing our calling. This little boy experienced what I call a “God Moment.” It’s when God opens a window of opportunity for you to achieve the tasks to which He has called you to do. On your journey to fulfilling your call, you will have opportunities to experience many God Moments. But it’s up to you to take advantage of them. I believe this story highlights three keys we should learn from this little boy about stepping into our God Moments.
First, to step into your God Moment, you have to participate. Jesus performed the miracle but the child had to consent to work with Jesus in order for the miracle to happen. It was not the disciples but the child who made his resources available to God. For the child to give up his food, I believe there was a joy down on the inside, where purpose and opportunity traversed.
You have to believe that God can produce a miracle just by your participation. He can do something spectacular in somebody’s life through your willingness to serve, your willingness to get involved, your willingness to use your hands and through your simple obedience to His leading.
How can God use somebody’s lunch to impact the world? God can use anything you make available to Him. In other words, start with what you have, start with where you are. Just being willing and taking action to step into a God Moment, can affect someone’s life for the better and you will never be the same.