Let go of the controls

They had only one loaf. (Mark 8:14)

A young woman who had recently begun serving as a missionary was talking to people who were interested in working with her. She recounted that when she first arrived, she was overwhelmed by the conditions: primitive housing and sanitation, high unemployment, and rampant crime. She soon realized that her education didn’t matter half as much as she thought it would. “It’s your faith that matters,” she said, “not your abilities.” 

The disciples in today’s reading probably could have related to what this young woman was saying. Just before this episode, they had seen Jesus multiply loaves and fishes to feed a massive crowd—and they still had seven baskets of leftovers. But after they got into the boat, they realized that they had left all those baskets on the shore. All they had with them was one loaf of bread. It seems they were counting on being able to feed the next crowd of people with the leftover miracle bread, and now they were disappointed.

Their reaction must have been a little frustrating for Jesus, considering all that they had seen him do! Still, he reminded them, again, about what he could do with just a little bit of bread. He also warned them against the “leaven of the Pharisees,” or the tendency to take God out of the equation and try to control every situation. He knew that too much self-reliance can lead to a kind of perfectionism and anxious worrying that drains faith of its power and promise.

We are all like the disciples in one way or another. We all like to be in charge and have things under control. But we need to be careful not to try to control everything, because that’s when we risk limiting the Lord or pushing him out of the picture. This is especially true when we are faced with a particularly challenging situation and feel that we don’t have enough “bread.”

Don’t let this happen! You may have only one loaf, but that’s more than enough for the Lord. If he can feed thousands with just a little more than that, surely he can take anything you offer him and fill it with his power and grace!

“Lord, help me to forget about what I can’t do and focus on what you can do. Take all that I have today and use it for your glory!”

taken from wau.org