Being part of a family requires quite a bit of attention, time, stamina, patience and forgiveness. What happens in the family unit spills out and over to those we see and talk to during the day. We are possibly too busy to know the positive impact we have on others. We are just trying to get through the 24 hours and do our best for our family.
There is school, home school, deadlines, job, activities to get to, house to clean, yard to take care of, our furry family members, news to catch up on, phone calls, emails, and text to a friend and family who needs encouragement, and somewhere in this, prepare and serve nutritious meals.
Our ordinary daily tasks can lead to blessings for many. There is a story in The Bible where a “normal everyday morning” had an impact for many.
Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with His disciples. When Jesus looked up, He saw a great crowd of people coming toward Him. Jesus asked His disciple Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” Philip answered with “it will take 8 months of wages to buy enough bread for these.”
Andrew, another disciple, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was 5,000 men there and this count did not include the women and children.
Jesus took the bread and fish, gave thanks and the disciples distributed to the people. After the people were full, Jesus told the disciples to gather the pieces left over so nothing would be wasted. There were 12 full baskets of leftover food (John 6:1-13).
Consider this possibility of how the bread and fish made it to the picnic. At some time, a dad went fishing so his family would have meat. The dad or mom went to the barley field and gathered enough barley for the family. The mom ground the barley for the bread and then baked it. The dad and mom might have been tired with preparation of another meal.
On the day of the picnic, someone packed the little boy’s lunch basket with this bread and fish, never realizing that morning, they were part of God’s plan to bless and feed over 5,000 people. Everything we do has an impact whether we see or know of it.
During COVID, we can still smile, wave hello, and say thank you. Even with a face mask on, your smile will show through your eyes, the gentleness of your voice and body language. The saying “Be the change you wish to see in the World” is powerful. You are a blessing to others as well as your family.