Jesus kept giving them to the disciples to give to the people. (Mark 6:41)
Because I always have far too many ideas and projects on the back burner, I have more binders than I can count, waiting patiently on the shelf for their turn in the spotlight. When a thought comes to me, I instantly think, “Which project should I save that for?” Why do I do this? Because I’m always afraid to share them lest there be no more.
Seriously. I hoard ideas like some people hoard empty baskets. I guess I figure that if I use it for one thing, I can’t use it again for anything else. Once I’ve said the words, I can’t say them again. Once I’ve shared the idea, it’ll lose its impact when someone hears it again. And…if I tell everybody what God’s said to me now, I won’t have anything to share with them later.
As a result, post it notes and index cards and binders and journals litter my office, my purse, and yes, even my poor cluttered mind. So many God-given thoughts…so many ideas and revelations just waiting. God recently challenged me on this habit in a way that has shaken my overcrowded brain and kind of thrown my life in a snow globe to be shaken around.
As I’ve already mentioned, I’ve been spending a good bit of time in Mark 6 as I consider and anticipate a new opportunity I have within my church. As I’ve camped out in that chapter, I’ve noticed things I didn’t think about before and heard what God has to say to me about this new ministry and about life itself.
Side note: I’ve read Mark 6 many times. Mark is my favorite of the four Gospels, so it’s marked up in my Bible more than the others, even. Mark 5 is my favorite chapter in the entire Bible…but the reason for that is a post for another day. Even so, it can be hard to read sometimes. If you – like me – sometimes struggle with passages you’ve read a million billion times, I have two very practical suggestions for your personal study. First, ignore the captions. Completely disregard those bold subtitles your Bible has so helpfully put in there to show where one section ends and another begins. Sometimes it’s helpful when you’re looking for something specific. If, however, you’re reading something that feels stale, the captions are a deterrent (I think) to the active work Scripture can do. It’s distracting, keeps us from seeing the bigger picture, and wasn’t even intended by the original authors to be labeled like that. Ignore the captions and read the context of the larger story. More on that tomorrow…. And second, when you’ve found yourself in the same old story, force yourself to read s.l.o.w.l.y. Believe me, I know this is hard, because our eyes want to skim right on over the words because we know how it ends. But when you slow down, reading it with the intention of finding something new, more often than not you will find something new. There are words deliberately used in there that you’ve never noticed. I can almost guarantee it, and when you spot them it can change everything about how you see that same old story.
The latter of those two things happened to me the other day. I was trying to read with new eyes when four words leapt off the page and gave me direction for literally everything I do.
Those four words? “Jesus kept on giving.” (Mark 6:41)
As I thought about it, I realized how much sense it made. There were upwards of five thousand men gathered there but only twelve disciples. There is no way that they could have managed to tote that many meals at once, so it’ just makes sense that’s just logical that they’d have to keep going back to Jesus to get more food to give to the hungry people. And when they did, “Jesus kept on giving.”
Bam. It hit me right between the eyes: The disciples didn’t hoard what Jesus gave them. When He filled their baskets with what they needed for ministry, they gave everything they had to the people. They didn’t skimp, seeing how little they were holding and how big the need was. They didn’t ration it out, assuming there wouldn’t be more. Rather, they emptied their baskets of everything and, without any more concern for where the food would come from, went right back to Jeus for more.
I, however, get my basket – my brain, notebook, binder, etc. – filled by Jesus and store it away. I don’t give all of my time, energy, ideas, or resources to work, ministry, and life itself because I don’t want to be so empty that I can’t meet the very real needs of the people right in front of me. While I think I’m being responsible when I do that, God convicted me and told me I’m being the opposite of responsible.
I’m supposed to empty my basket of everything and trust – one hundred percent – that when I go back to Jesus, He’ll have what I need to do the things He has called me to do. I am where I am because He’s called me there. He’s not going to leave me without what I need to be the mama, wife, friend, sister, daughter, and writer He’s specifically called me to be.
You see, I think in terms of scarcity and limitations. Jesus, though, thinks in terms of overflowing abundance.
I ought to think more like Him (in so many ways). I ought to live like I believe Him (in so many ways). I ought to minister like He did (in so many ways). You, too?
You see, when we use ourselves up – allow God to empty us as we pour ourselves out for others – ministry doesn’t stop there. Instead, our empty baskets are just signs that we need to go back to Jesus. There is more work to do, and there are more resources for everything He’s asking of us…
…when we stop for a minute and go back to Jesus.
My friend, if you feel completely empty of what you need to love on your family, friends, and neighbors the way you feel led to, it’s not a sign that you should stop. Rest? Maybe. But it’s definitely a sign that you need to take that empty basket into the presence of Jesus, show Him what the situation is, and let Him fill it right back up again.
Your ministry – your love – your work – your calling can and will continue as long as you continually rely on Him to supply you with what You need. There’s no need to ration or panic. He has more. Just ask.
Jesus loves empty baskets. They show faithfulness, trust, and possibility. Take Him yours.