Bring It To Me

I lifted a silent prayer as I tromped into church, my toddler son grasping my hand.

"Lord, I'm here. That's all I have today. If You have a word for me, You may have to yell."

Feeding and dressing an infant and a toddler plus myself on a Sunday morning had frazzled my nerves. No matter how early I woke up, we never seemed to be ready on time.

One morning I caught my son scrubbing his head on the carpet until his hair stood on end after I'd combed it twice already.

More mornings than I can count, I had to change either my daughter's clothes or my own because she spit up or had a diaper accident moments before we were to leave the house.

The duties of a mother in the early years never seemed to end.

I had very little to offer anyone else on many of those days.

Some days now I look at what God has called me to do, and I whisper a response to God that this is all I have to offer.

As part of the study of Ruth by Kelly Minter, I read these verses this last week. They struck me on a different note this time. It's a long verse for our weekly memory verse, so feel free to choose just one part to memorize, but please meditate on the full situation this week.

After Harod beheaded John the Baptist, Jesus withdrew to be alone, but the crowds followed him. Matthew 14 says He had compassion on them and healed their sick. At dinner time the disciples realized this crowd of thousands needed to eat.

Send them away to find something, they said.

You feed them, Jesus replied.

We only have five loaves of bread and two fish.

Bring it to Me.

We place that word, only, to qualify what we are holding often as not enough.

I only have fifteen minutes.

I only have a few dollars.

I only have a little ability.

I only know a little about the Bible.

Yet Jesus looks at our only and says, "Bring it to me."

He did not call the disciples to feed the people because He believed they had the resources to do it on their own. He knew exactly how unprepared and ill-equipped they were to do what He had instructed.

Yet He issued the instructions anyway.

What has He called you to do this week? Or this year? Or this lifetime?

What's your only?

He says, "Bring it to Me."