It’s one of the most well known of Jesus’ miracles, the feeding of the five thousand. So many people had gathered to hear Jesus speak, that it seemed impossible to feed them all. “It’ll take a year’s wages” said Phillip when Jesus asked him. But Jesus already knew what He was going to do, and when a boy offered up five loaves and two fishes, He multiplied it. This offering couldn’t have even begun to feed everyone, but Jesus was able to do more with it, and even went above and beyond to the point that there were twelve full baskets of food left over.
So how can this miracle encourage us in our own lives and ministry? Well back in Costa Rica we were doing a lot of house visits and door to door ministry. As we didn’t always have a translator available, I was sometimes called upon to use my very basic Spanish in order to communicate. At first I was fairly enthusiastic about it, and found I could just about manage to string a conversation together. For example one morning a group of us were able to speak to the local baker, and encouraged him in his walk with Jesus.
However, as time went on I started to get frustrated by it. I don’t speak Spanish that well and would feel pressured when I was the only one in a group who did. Another morning I was with two of my teammates who speak no Spanish, when we met two elderly ladies. I really wanted to speak to them as they told me they were Catholic, but due to their very heavy accents I just couldn’t understand. I grew frustrated that God had sent me to Costa Rica and this ministry, yet communication was such a struggle. It led me to a rather defeatist attitude of what is the point even trying, when I don’t understand what people are saying.
But that’s not the attitude God wants me, or us to have. Our squad mentor was with us that month and kept talking to me about “loaves and fishes”. “Offer what you have Laura and the Lord will multiply it” she would say. That’s all very well I thought, but people can’t expect me to just suddenly understand Spanish. It’s not a fair expectation and it’s not going to happen.
Fast forward a few months and we are in the Dominican Republic, another Spanish speaking country. Here we are also doing some door to door type ministry in the community. One morning we were out inviting people to church when a lady invited us into her house to speak to her daughter in law. I was the only Spanish speaker in the group and whilst I wanted to talk to her, I at first heard that old lie that I couldn’t. No way was my Spanish going to be up to this. But I decided to be bold and say yes anyway.
Once inside we started to chat to Sara. We started with simple questions about her family and her faith, but then I asked her if she had any testimonies about what Jesus has done in her life. As she spoke I definitely did not understand a lot of what she said, but amazingly the Lord intervened and gave me enough to understand more or less what she was saying, to translate for my teammates, and even to say a simple prayer for her and her family in Spanish. A few days later I was in the city centre and a lady came up to me wanting to talk about Jesus. Her name was Isabel and she had a heart for children, and youth affected by drug addiction. Again, I didn’t understand every word, but the Lord gave me the words I needed to understand and to encourage her.
You see that’s the kind of God we are working with. When we are willing to offer what we do have, He takes it and multiples it. Every time I’ve had a conversation this month in Spanish that God clearly wanted me to have, He has increased my understanding of the language massively. Even if I do make mistakes when I speak, He helps me to be understood, and if that means I can share about Jesus and encourage others even just a little bit with my words, then it’s worth it.
Rather than holding on to what we have, let’s give it away. Don’t wait until you feel you are completely ready or equipped, because God meets us in our weakness. If I waited until I was fluent in Spanish, I would have missed out on so many of those conversations and God using our team to bless others. It’s in our weakness that Gods power shines through us. We don’t have to be perfect because He is. If Jesus can multiply the 5 loaves and 2 fishes from a small boy, to feed 5000 people, He can definitely multiply what you have to offer, if you are only willing to say “yes”.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
