The title of this post is both an encouragement and a challenge to us. A little boy with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish Matthew14:13-21, a elderly widow with two small coins Mark12:41-44 or an impoverished mother with a tiny bit of oil and flour 1Kings12:7-16
It doesn't take much for God to use us and accomplish his plan.
I thought about this after spending a couple of hours spread over two days with a young man who had been abandoned by his parents to survive in the streets as an adolescent. He reluctantly agreed to spend some time with me after I offered to help him move forward in his life by getting some financial assistance from the government to get off the street. He was ready for failure. He expected rejection. His problem is his consuming anger. Lets face it- you or I might be too if we had been kicked out of the house as teenagers. That anger shows up in negativism and impatience, with violent language and a hatred of authority. He can't move forward because he loses his temper and fights with anyone who has the power of decision in his life. He protects himself from disappointment by sabotaging the process, pushing away those who would help him. Anticipating closed doors and failure- that is exactly what he gets, and the cycle continues feeding itself.
We met the first day and I began to doubt the wisdom of my offer to help him. He was in a foul mood as I picked him up at the shelter, verbally abusing staff and other residents. As we started the process I silently prayed we would meet patient, understanding bureaucrats and that phones would be answered by real people and not machines. God answered. We did and they were. We made small steps of progress and I continued to encourage him to stick at it, to stop cursing and swearing and to try and treat the people we met with some respect.
The next morning we went met again and had to go to various offices to prove his eligibility for assistance. During one of these interviews he was asked to identify his next of kin. He gave them my name and number then asked if that would be okay. I was both saddened and humbled by that. It says a lot about his life that there is no one else that he can identify as "family." That is the sad part. The humbling part is that in such a short time, and by giving so little, I had become "next of kin." It doesn't take much, does it? As we walked away from each other thay day, he yelled back at me (with no cursing I might add) over his shoulder- "Thanks a lot, I really mean that." I am not sure when our paths will cross again but maybe, just maybe, a frail bridge of grace has been built.
We are surrounded by people who have deeply sad and lonely lives. Every once in a while, they explode onto our newspapers in violent ways and we wonder: "Where did that come from?" There are many in our communities that are very angry, who feel alienated and don't experience much human warmth. People are starving for kindness. They feel there is no one they can trust. You and I, as we are led by the Spirit, can break through their dark reality with simple acts that show we care; proving that someone knows they are there. Are we known for our generosity of spirit?
Sometimes it doesn't take much to communicate God's love, but when we do, be ready for God to work and doors to open for His grace. What have you got to offer to Jesus that he can take and multiply in the life of others? Who is there around you that could use a smile, some eye contact, a heart-felt and sincere: "No, really, how are you doing?"
