Many nameless people with gifts equal only to five loaves and two small fishes magnify their callings and serve without attention or recognition, feeding literally thousands.
— James E. Faust
The New Testament tells us the story of Jesus miraculously feed 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and two small fishes. This story can teach us a lot about how we can bless each other.
In the account, Jesus was teaching a multitude of people. As the day continued, the crowd was hungry and needed food, but here was nowhere they could go to get food. A young boy in the group was prepared and had brought with him 5 loaves of bread and two fishes. He gave his meager offering to Jesus, who blessed it, divided it among several baskets and told his disciples to distribute it to the crowd. Everyone in the crowd of over 5000 people ate until they were full and in the end they gathered up 12 baskets of food that was left over.
Like the boy in this story, we all have gifts and talents we can use to help bless others. Also like the boy in this story, our offerings of time and service can often feel small and inconsequential. When we make those offerings with faith, however, the Lord can turn them into so much more.
Helping others and serving with faith allows the Lord to take our small offerings of time and love and multiply them in ways that can bless many people. Sometimes that may mean they bless dozens of people and other times they may bless thousands.
Like the boy with his offering of fish and bread, we don’t know just how far reaching these blessings will go. But when we give our offerings with faith, we can trust that the Lord will miraculously expand our offerings to bless those around us.
How have you been blessed by the love and services of others? What offerings can you give to help bless those around you?