This week I heard an old story with fresh new ears. It is
one I have known since my early childhood. If you have been around the church
for any time (and some of you who haven’t at all), you know it well too. You
can find it in Mark 6: 30-44, the story of the five loaves and two fish. But
today God showed me the story from a different perspective.
Moms, picture this scenario. You have been working
tirelessly doing all the things that you have been asked by your loving family.
Clothes are clean, cupboards are stocked, bathroom floor is mopped, doctor
appointments made, etc. You love what you do. You adore your family. But you
are just bone weary tired. It can get that way. We have all had those days when
we feel like we are running our fastest just so we don’t get too far behind.
You are not alone, my friend.
That is just where our story finds the apostles. They
have been off doing the work Christ gave them to do. We are told, “Many were
coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” We know how that feels.
Jesus does too. He totally gets it. Immediately he recognizes the problem AND
has the solution. Not just any answer; the perfect one. “Come away and rest
awhile.” YES!! We are all cheering here. That is just what we want someone to
say to us on those overwhelming days. Before you get too excited about it, wait
for the rest of the story.
Did you know that the word rest also means abide? (This
is a hint of what is to come). I started thinking about some of the abide
verses that I know. John 15:4-7 and I John 2:24-29 were the first to spring to
mind. They are all about our need to abide in the Lord so that we bear good
fruit and have confidence in Him. This is the kind of rest that Jesus gives us.
He gives rest to our souls. We don’t have to worry because we know Him. Jesus
knows us, our every weakness and all of our needs. He knows what we need even
better than we do.
So the story continues. The tired men jump in a boat and
head out with Jesus to a desolate place. We have been in those places. The place
where you can’t even muster up the slightest desire to even call on God for
help. The place where you feel deserted by everyone. The place where you are
the most vulnerable, most hurt, most destroyed creature. But we know this
truth. No place is beyond our God. No place is without Him. Even at our most
desperate, God is there. He never leaves us in our need. Just as in the story,
Jesus didn’t leave those who needed Him. The boat lands and the apostles find
crowds of people waiting for them. These people needed Jesus, and they knew it.
They RAN to this place. And Jesus did not disappoint. He taught them. All
5,000+. Here it was. A chance to abide in Him.
Now comes a chance for the apostles to shine, to show
that they find their rest in Christ and are ready for whatever comes. Like the so
many of us, they fail. It is late and everyone is hungry so their solution is
to send the people out to get their own dinner. Can you imagine their shock
when Jesus says, “You give them something to eat.” Say what? We don’t have
enough money for that. We are in the middle of nowhere. You must be joking. Do
those words sound familiar? They sure do to me. God gives me a job, and I
immediately start telling Him why he has the wrong person. All. Of. The. Time.
You would think that I would learn, but I don’t. This week He is using this
story to remind me. I hope I get it. Unfortunately, just like these men, I
forget who I serve. I forget just who God is. Wake up, Melanie. This is God. He
created the whole universe from nothing. What can He not do?
He showed the apostles just who He is too. 5 loaves. 2
fish. Nothing really. That probably wouldn’t fill my hungry family. But Jesus
blessed what was there and everyone ate. Not only that, they ATE AND WERE
SATISFIED. Can we work on remembering that? God uses who we are, what we are,
and what we have no matter how insufficient it seems to accomplish His
purposes. He satisfies us. We cannot do it on our own.
In the end, the apostles didn’t get the rest they so
desperately wanted or felt they needed. Many times we don’t either. They,
however, did get much more. And, you know, I bet that when they saw that
miracle, they were renewed. They were reminded about how big God is, how much
He cares for us, and how He will take care of all of our needs. I would love to
say that from here on out, I am totally, 100% sold out and committed to giving
God my all, trusting Him completely, and serving with my whole heart. It isn’t
going to happen. I will fail, but I will remember this story, and I will get up
and do better because I know a GREAT God. I pray that you do too.
BTW, none of this means that moms never need time to
rest, relax, and renew. We do. Take the time you need to rest, just remember
that rest also means abide. Don’t forget that part of your life.
