Feeding the 5,000 thoughts

I have to admit that the account of Christ feeding the 5,000 is one of my favorites. 

I cannot begin to imagine how Jesus' day was that day. He was just told that His cousin, John the Baptist was beheaded. I wonder if He had even one moment alone to contemplate and reflect on His dear friend, cousin and prophet that just passed away so violently. After Jesus was told by His disciples He departed by ship to a desert place, I'm sure to be alone for a few moments.

But I imagine that news traveled quickly much like it does today. I imagine the people who heard this, went as a ward or congregation of Saints would have done. They would go to the person who is suffering and give their support and love.

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Matt 14: 13-14

13. When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

14. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

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I'm sure the people, much like us, lost track of time and didn't realize they would be staying until evening with Jesus. I'm sure they started to get a little hungry, but wanted to stay with Jesus in His hour of need to show their support. Jesus, always knowing their thoughts and their intents, He knew He could feed them.

This is one of the beautiful things I love about this account. He simply TOOK WHAT THEY HAD. He blessed it and gave thanks for what they had and made a miracle happen.

Christ will take what you give Him. He will take you as you are, and He will BLESS YOU and THANK YOU for being you. When you turn all you have over to Him, He will make far more out of you than you could ever imagine. 

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Matt 14: 19-20

19. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

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I started questioning the 12 baskets of left overs. What did they do with them? 

This is what I imagine.

I imagine that Christ told a few people to share what they had seen and heard. I imagine that Christ told them to take the bread and tell them that this is the TRUE reason of the bread. 

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John 6:35

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

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Christ wasn't a baker who could make their lives easy by magically feeding them for the rest of their days, but He could feed their souls FOREVER. And if those who were "poor is spirit" wanted more, that they had a way. Follow Jesus and believe in Him, and you will have everlasting life.

I saw this exact miracle happen in my life. Literally feeding people with nothing. I am sure it has happened to others, but this was my experience.

We were at Girls Camp. I was the stake girls camp director and I had a team to help me. One of which was my oldest sister. She was over the food. That woman can feed an ARMY. She is meticulous and detailed. She remembers EVERYTHING. She knows exactly what to buy for how many and rarely has too little or too much of anything. She is organized, precise, and seriously one of the best cooks I know. She has been over food for girls camp the previous two girls camps we did together. This year of girls camp was different than the past two years. We were in a more remote location than before and for different circumstances needed food to be brought to us for dinner. Every night we had ward Relief Societies come together and bring prepared and ready dinners to us. It was WONDERFUL. However, one night, we had "walking tacos" a.k.a. tacos in a bag of chips. It was one of our favorites for girls camp, everyone loved them. The ward Relief Society remembered everything... except lettuce. Lettuce is kind of essential to tacos.

We hit panic mode. What could we do? 

My meticulous sister started scrambling and going through each fridge and cooler we had and MIRACULOUSLY had one single head of iceberg lettuce and one large bag of shredded cabbage. We had over 130 people to feed which consisted of growing girls and adults who are always hungrier when camping. 

My sister and I went into the back room and said a prayer together. We were thankful that we had one small head of lettuce and one large bag of shredded cabbage. We were thankful for this opportunity to be at girls camp, where we could help spiritually feed these young women and leaders in a safe and beautiful environment. We asked that the Lord help us stretch the lettuce and cabbage as far as it would go. We would prepare it and we would put the rest in His hands. We were asking for a "Feed the 5,000" scenario, but we would take whatever He could give.

We shredded that lettuce as finely as possible and even shredded the shredded cabbage more. We ended up with a medium/large bowl of lettuce and cabbage mix. We grabbed small tongs and set it on the serving table.

All week long we had ward young women serve the food so it was easier and kept the line moving faster. I stepped in and took over serving the lettuce. I would be sure to give a small portioned amount and kept praying in my heart that I could stretch it as far as I could. I looked down at my medium sized bowl of lettuce cabbage mix, and then I looked up at the longest line I had ever seen. My heart sunk. All I could do was pray. The young women or leaders around me had no idea what was going on in my heart and mind. Only my sister and I knew of this worry. The prayer was given on the food and then it began.

As the line stated coming through, I kept placing lettuce and cabbage on each plate, smiling and talking with the young women and leaders. Every single scoop I took from the bowl I said a prayer. 

EVERY . SINGLE . SCOOP I PRAYED.

I realized about 50-60 people through the line, that my bowl of cabbage and lettuce was exactly where it had started. It was as if I hadn't taken even one scoop out of my medium sized bowl. I started to tear up and had to hold it together until the meal was done. I kept scooping and kept scooping. I continually watched what my earthly eyes could not comprehend, but what my heart understood. 

This was a miracle.

My sister came about half way through and asked me quietly how it was going. She looked down at my near full bowl with awe. She started tearing up, and I said with tears in my eyes, "It's happening. It's the 5,000. I can't think about it right now, so go away and we can talk about it later." Her eyes held tears as she understood and said, "Yes, I understand." Then she went away to over see other things, before we both burst into tears at the miracle we were both witnessing.

It may not have been a big deal to many, but in that moment it was a big deal to my sister and I. Christ knew of our struggles and He knew our righteous desire to feed many with little. 

Whatever is important to you, is important to Him.

I saw a miracle. I am sure you can believe what happened next. We had enough lettuce/cabbage to feel every last person. It was beautiful, and I still cry when I recall this experience. 

Heavenly Father will hear and answer your prayers. He will make miracles happen in your life. Big or small. Everything happens for a reason. Would we have been okay without lettuce and cabbage in our tacos that day? Yes, we would have been fine. But He used that to teach me a very valuable lesson that I will never forget. 

He is aware of ME. 
And I KNOW HE IS AWARE OF YOU. 

We are the Lord's hands

"A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.

Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”" 

(“You Are My Hands” Dieter F. Uchtdorf April 2010)

When I first heard this short story, I can honestly say that it changed my life. It was told in a primary lesson I was listening to, and my mind was captivated by the thought of ME being the Lord's hands. How had I been the Lord's hands that day? How had I been His hands in the past week? 

From that day on, I pray every morning that I can be His hands in some way. Small or large, simple or complicated. I can love someone, somewhere as He would love them.

The conference talk given by Elder Uchtdorf continued..."True love requires action. We can speak of love all day long—we can write notes or poems that proclaim it, sing songs that praise it, and preach sermons that encourage it—but until we manifest that love in action, our words are nothing but “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

Christ did not just speak about love; He showed it each day of His life. He did not remove Himself from the crowd. Being amidst the people, Jesus reached out to the one. He rescued the lost. He didn’t just teach a class about reaching out in love and then delegate the actual work to others. He not only taught but also showed us how to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”

Christ knows how to minister to others perfectly. When the Savior stretches out His hands, those He touches are uplifted and become greater, stronger, and better people as a result.

If we are His hands, should we not do the same?"

Being a true disciple of Christ means to LIVE what you know. Live the gospel in a way that no one can doubt that you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Christ knows what people are going through. He is the ONLY PERSON who knows EXACTLY what you are going through. Your thoughts, actions and struggles. He knows YOU. Not only does he know YOU, but he knows EVERYONE. By asking Him to help you find someone to help, He will direct your path and put you in a place where you can be the one to uplift another.

Proverbs 3:5-6
"5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

You may not understand why you are lead to a specific person at a specific time, but Christ knows. He knows you, and He knows who needs your talents and testimony to help them in their life at that moment.

BE HIS HANDS.

"God does watch over us, and does notice us.
But it is usually through someone else that He meets our needs."
-President Spencer W. Kimball