When my mind grows impatient, And I’m pushed to the wall And the problems I’m facing Aren’t changing at all
Jesus teaches the waiting Through His hours on the cross Where He gave a thief mercy In His suffering and loss
Then in the sealed tomb He lay still the day As He silently waited Till Death’s stone rolled away!
I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. Psalm 40:1-2 KJV
Fact - 60 - 70% of long term are residents will not receive a single visitor in an entire year.
Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” Mark 6:36 The disciples had rowed across Galilee with Jesus, with the promise of some well deserved time off and rest. But when they arrived at the dock they were met by throngs of people and Jesus, ever compassionate, had taken turned their holiday into another long teaching session. By late afternoon the disciples were tired, they were hungry and it was late. What could be more reasonable than to send the crowds away? But Jesus didn’t buy into their thinking. Instead He told them. “You give them something to eat.” When it comes to visiting or serving in nursing homes, we probably feel overwhelmed just like the disciples. I know, because I feel like that almost every week. But Jesus isn’t asking us to figure it all out before we do something. He simply asks us to step out.
Now this idea of Jesus’ surprised the disciples and brought about a flurry of them trying to explain the facts to the Master (Ever tried that?} ” Look Jesus, it’s not just late, but we only enough money to buy enough food for everyone to get one bite. Where in the world are we supposed to find food for them out here?” Their words sound both reasonable, as well as strangely familiar, because most of us have tried to skate such logic by Jesus. “We’re broke, we’re too busy, we’re exhausted ourselves.”, and these are all real issues. But instead of going along with this way of thinking, Jesus began to outline His own plan, with a question. “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” the answer came back; “Five loaves and two fish.” (vs 38). Maybe you feel you don’t have much when it comes to serving residents in long term care. But Jesus only asks us to put our loaves and fish into HIs hands. We will be surprised how a little surrendered to Him can do amazing things!
Then Jesus moved to step two – Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.– (vs 39) Once we have given what we have to Him our next step is not, “Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work!” Instead, just like the Good Shepherd of Psalm twenty-three Jesus commands us to sit down in green pastures. He’s got this! We aren’t called to fix every problem. He just wants us to trust Him! At this point the disciples had two options: they could have thrown up their hands and walked away saying, “This will never work!” or they could obey. They chose option two and once Jesus had all they had in His hands, and they sat down to rest, He began to work. – And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. – (vs 41).
When we do things Jesus’ way, He will put back into our hands some very ordinary looking things, but they will now be empowered to do more than we ever dreamed. What is it that is in your hands today? Can you make a phone call? Can you send a card? Will you be able to visit? Will you pray? With 1.4 million people in long term care, that means that more than one million of them will not have a visitor for Mother’s or Father’s Day, their birthdays will be forgotten, and soon the last chapter of their lives will be closed. Why not bring them whatever it is that Jesus has put in our hands?
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. John 6:35 ESV
When I was a boy, my friends and I used to play baseball in our shared backyards. No matter what the score, we would keep at it, unless a parent called us in, or we smelled the aroma of my mom’s fresh baked bread, wafting out through the kitchen window. Then like thieves rushing to a bank robbery, we would hurry in letting the screen door slam behind us and stand anxiously watching my mother. “What is it you all want?” she would ask us with a smile, before going back to popping those loaves out of the bread pans onto the counter. Then she would always nicely add, “You do know, hot bread is bad for your stomach. It has to cool for at least five minutes.” I think mom just made us wait because she loved to watch us hop from one foot to the other, while our eyes stayed glued to the hands on the clock just above the stove. She must have chuckled watching our twitching faces as the seconds ticked away, but true to her word, at the five-minute mark, mom would put a loaf onto the bread board and begin slicing. Then after slathering it with butter, mom would hand each one of us a slice., while asking, “Now, what do you say?”
“Thank you!” we’d all shout as we ran back outside to play with the last of her bread still in our mouths. When people met Jesus, they may not have been able to put their finger on why, but there was something familiar about Him that stirred a hunger in their hearts, just like the aroma of mom’s bread did for hungry boys. And what about you today? Are you standing outside Heaven’s door, enjoying the aroma of God’s fresh baked bread? Maybe you have come into the kitchen but are still shifting from one foot to the other, thinking you still have to wait your turn. Or have you finally found your seat at God’s kitchen table, and are hungrily gulping down that first buttery slice? Jesus tells us that we don’t have to wait any longer. Fresh bread is God’s promise to everyone who is hungry. But we must choose to come, and ask, and then don’t forget to say thank you!
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