What if Andre, the disciple of Jesus, had judged the boy's lunch as too insignificant to bother with and gave it back to the boy? He would have choked the miraculous destiny God had planned. The feeding of the 5,000 may never have taken place.
Don't choke your destiny by diminishing what you hold in your hands.
It’s like the young man who was given a small plot of land to build upon. He compared his modest plot to his neighbor’s sprawling, manicured acreage and he determined his property was worthless. Besides being small, the the land had so much underbrush and tangled vines and trees that there was hardly room to stand, much less build upon it.
“How can this be a blessing?” he cried to the Lord. “Look at what my neighbors have.” The Lord did not rebuke him however, He simply said, “Clear the land.”
The man was disheartened and he almost walked away. But he decided to obey the Lord even though he could see no value in what he was doing.
Reluctantly he started to clear the land. Bush by bush, vine by vine, tree by tree, the man cleared, and he cleared. Thorns scratches. Weeds pricked. Muscles cramped, and sweat ran into his eyes.
However, in the process the man became physically strong and conditioned.
Perseverance grew deep roots within his character. New patience fortified his resolve. The work was backbreaking and required every bit of his focus. At times he wondered if his efforts mattered, and if he had really heard the Lord. But knowing nothing else to do, he continued to work with all his might.
One day as he worked the man uncovered a winding brook hidden deep in the underbrush. As the brook became unobstructed the man saw that it widened into a stream. Hope trickled into the man’s heart and he pressed in to the task. Gradually he realized the water source came from deep under ground his land. The stream fed a pond on his neighbor's property then flowed beyond the pond to feed the river that ran through the town's valley.
The man saw that though his lot was small it held a resource that if allowed to flow freely would be a wonderful blessing. At first he wept with joy, but then he wept with remorse that he’d ever doubted the value of what he'd been given.
The Lord did not rebuke him, but encouraged the man, “You had to clear the land before you could see the blessing. You had to stop looking at the blessings of others before you could see your own blessing to give. Your obedience has paid off. Well done.”
Gradually the man grew into the gift he'd been given. He no longer compared himself to others. Now he tended his plot of land with expectation for the blessings sure to follow.
We don’t often recognize what we have in our hands until we clear away the debris of unbelief, doubt, fear, insecurity, and lack of vision. Even the disciple, called Peter, wrestled with making comparisons. After Jesus told Peter what kind of death he would experience, Peter saw John approaching and asked. "What about him?"
Jesus corrected Peter's focus saying, “. . . what is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:22).
"What is that to you - you follow Me."
Maybe you have judged your portion insignificant compared to another person. Maybe you have even thought you have no gifts at all. The "little" that you have isn't little at all when put it in the hands of the Lord. Don’t waste time with comparisons. Life is too short. Trust. Clear the debris in your heart. Tend what God has given you. Give what you have. Be obedient to whatever the Lord tells you to do.
"Indeed, if anyone gives you even a cup of water because you bear the name of Christ, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward (Mark 9:41, NIV).
"God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so" (Hebrews 6:10, NIV).
"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me (Matthew 25:40, NIV).
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might . . ." (Ecclesiastes 9:10, NIV).