Day 2
Today we were immersed in the story of the loaves and fishes! What began as an immovable obstacle quickly surprised us with awe and delight.
“We are sorry to announce that we only have 10 pairs of reading glasses!” came the announcement from our leader.
To which one doctor jumped up and shouted, “I have 50 pairs!”
Another called out, “I have 25!”
And a third added, “I also brought several dozen!”
And so it continued. Our scarcity became abundance! Dare I say it was no longer the story of “feeding” the 5,000, but “reading” the 5,000… (insert groan!)
Another biblical story we see lived out in our clinic is the image of our gifts being part of one body. We each have different gifts, but every gift is vital to the wholeness that takes place when we offer ourselves to God to be used in service to others.
This is one of the things I love about serving through Faith in Practice. We don’t come here as individuals who have all the answers or all that is needed. We come as one body, bringing what we have—our skills, our time, our resources, our compassion, and our willingness to serve—and somehow, in God’s hands, it becomes enough.
As a society, we tend to elevate those with certain degrees, titles, or status. But look closely at the garb of our volunteers, and you’ll notice something: a towel wrapped around the waist of their scrubs. They serve with humility and love.
And so do the Guatemalan volunteers who are with us this week. I have watched them clean our latrines, prepare our lunches, carry heavy loads, eat second, and stay behind to clean our workspaces so that we are ready for another day.
They remind me that the Kingdom of God often looks very different from the world around us. The hands that serve quietly, the ones that clean up after everyone else, the ones that make sure others are cared for first, these may be the very hands that God considers most precious.
Perhaps, if we look closely enough, we might even see a crown peeking out from beneath their red volunteer hats.
And maybe that is the real miracle of these days, not simply what we are able to accomplish, but what happens when we place our small offerings into God’s hands. A few loaves. A few fish. A few pairs of reading glasses. A willing heart. A towel around the waist.
In the hands of God, scarcity becomes abundance, strangers become one body, and ordinary acts of service become something holy.
Julie Eberly Photographer and Blogger
