Miracles in the Mundane
“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? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.”
The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle outside of the resurrection told in all four gospels. I've read it, studied it, written about it, and heard it preached more times than I can count. I've looked at it from every possible angle, or so I thought. It's not uncommon to hear the story told from the point of view of Jesus, the disciples, the crowd, or the little boy who offered his lunch to Jesus, but recently it struck me that one perspective is missing. So, today, I'd like to look at this story from a different point of view—that of the little boy's mother.
If mothers in Biblical times were like mothers of today, they cared for their families. They took care of household chores and were responsible for the day-to-day operations involved in running a home. That tells me this mama probably packed that little boy's lunch that day. And that, my friends, makes me wonder if she had any idea that her faithfulness to do the expected—and often unnoticed and unappreciated—task of packing a lunch would result in a miracle that would feed thousands.
I expect she didn't. I'm guessing that morning was just like any other. Same boring chores. Same mundane tasks. Cook the meals. Do the dishes. Fold the laundry. Sweep the floors. Nothing exciting. Nothing to write home about. Just the daily grind of every good mama who's ever lived. But here's the thing, despite the monotony and the lack of praise and recognition, she remained faithful. How do I know? Because that little boy didn't leave the house without a lunch. According to the account above, a whole lot of other people did. But not this boy. His mama made sure he had everything he needed. She was a good mom. A faithful mom. A mom who was willing to do the jobs nobody else wanted to do to ensure her family was loved and cared for.
Let's face it, not all of us get to travel the world, be adored by crowds, or have our names in bright shining lights for all to see. Most of us are just ordinary people doing ordinary tasks, and that's okay. The Lord can do mighty things with the mundane. He turned one woman's faithfulness into a miracle that affected more lives than we'll ever know. What could He do with our service?
It may not be glamorous. Or appreciated. Or even noticed. But God knows, and He appreciates. And to Him, faithfulness in the things to which we've been called is far greater than any "flashy" work we choose to do on our own.
Stay faithful in the little things, the mundane tasks. You never know what God may do with that lunch you pack, that blanket you knit, or that card you send. Your act of obedience may be the catalyst for another mighty miracle. I don't know about you, but for me, that awareness makes the mundane seem a little more exciting!