Lessons From a Mother's Heart Sample

I have eleven kids right now, with more on the way. We have one rule in our house: We never leave home without a snack! Am I right, moms?

So, I find it hard to believe that in the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand, there were no moms with snacks. Some theologians have suggested that there could have been as many as 15,000 people present. These people were dedicated to listening to Jesus as long as He was willing to talk. There were moms there with their children, and no one had a snack to eat! The disciples went into the crowd and said, "What do you have?" and no one had anything to give them (except one young boy who had 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread).

Looking at the event from a mother's perspective gave me something new to think about.

It leads me to believe one of two things is possible. I think they had food. Either: (1) they were holding on to what they had because they thought they might need it for themselves or their family, or (2) the amount of food they had to offer was so small that they thought there was no way it could make an impact on the number of people who were hungry and in need.

This got me thinking. You might be in a similar situation today. The Lord is calling you to give. Maybe it's your time, your money, or your talents. You might be thinking, "I need every bit of what I have to care for myself and my family. I need to use every bit of energy and every penny we make for my family."

Or, you might be thinking, "The little bit of time or finances I can give, the little bit I can contribute, cannot begin to make a difference." You’ve looked around and seen the incredible need in the world that we live in, and you think there's nothing you could do to change that.

The Lord is calling you today to step out in faith, just like that little boy. He’s calling you to trust Him, to have childlike faith, and to trust that He will take what you offer and multiply it. He will do miracles with it. He will feed His people with it. He will take care of the needs with it. It will be so amazing when you trust Him that the Bible says there will be baskets of leftovers. How awesome is that?

So, I’m encouraging you today: whatever it is the Lord is calling you to give—time, resources, a particular talent—trust Him, even if it’s small. Step out and see what changes He can make in your life and in the lives of those around you.